12-10-24 City Council WS Agenda W ORK SESSION
RICHFIELD MUNICIPAL CENTER, BARTHOLOMEW ROOM
DECEMBER 10, 2024
5:45 PM
Call to order
1.Update and discussion of Wood Lake Nature Center building design development progress.
Adjournment
Auxiliary aids for individuals with disabilities are available upon request. Requests must be made at least 96
hours in advance to the City Clerk at 612-861-9739.
AGENDA SECTION:Work Session Items
AGENDA ITEM #1.
WORK SESSION
12/10/2024
REPORT PREPARED BY: Karl Huemiller, Recreation Services Director
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR REVIEW: Karl Huemiller, Recreation Services Director
OTHER DEPARTMENT REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER REVIEW: Katie Rodriguez, City Manager
12/4/2024
ITEM FOR WORK SESSION:
Update and discussion of Wood Lake Nature Center building design development progress.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Wood Lake building project team is working with HGA Architects on the design for the new nature center
building. The Design Development phase is nearing completion. This phase will culminate with the creation of
documents to be used in negotiating the Guaranteed Maximum Price with Mortenson Construction, and
submission for land use approval.
The project team along with other city staff have completed four design development meetings with HGA
Architects. In addition to the main design development meetings, staff have had numerous deep dive meetings
covering specific topics. The development of Construction Documents will begin in Mid January with
completion in late March or Early April.
DIRECTION NEEDED:
Staff is asking council to provide feedback and ask questions on the building design and site layout
prior to submission for land use approval.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A.HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Wood Lake Nature Center Background Wood Lake Nature Center (WLNC) is a public facility that opened in
1971 and has always been free of charge. The center serves anyone who enters and helps connect them to the
natural world through both passive and programmed learning opportunities. Currently, 60-70% of all site visitors
are from the region and 30-40% visit from Richfield. We also are a short 10-minute drive to the Minneapolis
International Airport and frequently host visitors from around the country and the world. Wood Lake Nature
Center serves as the gateway for guests to explore the 150-acre park that surrounds it. There are over 3 miles
of gentle hiking and cross-country ski trails for all to experience the many benefits of nature in three native
Minnesota biomes: the forest, wetland, and prairie.
People of all ages and abilities are served at WLNC and a large focus has always been on student education.
WLNC has had an invaluable 50-year partnership with the local Richfield Public School District; each student
from preschool through 5 th grade participates in 2-3 free environmental education field trips a year.
Approximately 70% of the district’s students are of color and have a 60-80% free and reduced lunch rate.
Currently, 7% of Richfield residents live at or below the federal poverty line. We also annually host dozens of
other school groups from across the region, including schools such as Lucy Laney in North Minneapolis where
the students have accessed the center via the Metro Transit Bus System. We regularly host SciTech Academy,
a Somali school. In previous years, we have been fortunate to secure grant funding for Little Earth schools to
come to multiple environmental education programs throughout the academic year. Being an accessible and
affordable site has always helped the center to attract a large diversity of schools from across the 7-county
metropolitan area. We anticipate more space with a new building will allow for several groups at a time to
schedule programs; with our current building, we are very limited by space. The additional space will also serve
as valuable space for community groups and residents to utilize for meetings and special events. Also,
educational exhibits and learning spaces are not fully accessible and are dated. A new building would afford the
needed opportunity to design a fully accessible building that includes an inclusive multimodal approach to
exhibits.
Project Pre-Design
A project team was formed in February of 2021 that included City of Richfield staff (Amy Markle, Dave
Conrads, Paul Smithson, and Rachel Lindholm), and a group from the local architectural firm, HGA. The
project team took a field trip to the new Westwood Hills Nature Center and learned about their process as well
as worked for months on the pre-design of a new building. The pre-design process identified community needs
for the new building, a general preliminary design, and a cost model. Following the pre-design process, the city
was able to use the materials developed to raise funds for the project. In 2023 the City secured $15 million in
funding, $12 million in state bonding money, and $3 million in federal funding. In the 2023 legislative session,
the City also received authorization for a local sales tax referendum that passed in November of 2024,
providing the final $11 million needed for the project.
Architect Interview Process
On October 13, 2023, the Wood Lake Nature Center Building Project Team put out an invitation-only RFP for
architectural and engineering services for the design and construction administration of the new nature center
building at Wood Lake. Six firms who have done similar work in the region were invited to submit proposals
outlining their experience with similar projects, members of their project team, and approach to the project
including community engagement and design schedules. Of the six firms invited, five submitted proposals, and
three were invited to interviews based on the content of their proposals. Staff took into account the firms'
understanding of the project, technical competence, experience with similar buildings, and the cost of their
services. An interview panel was formed, consisting of members of the Wood Lake Nature Center Building
Project Team as well as technical experts including the city engineer and a community development planner. In
the interviews, the three firms introduced their teams, presented their project schedules, design development
process, and technical expertise, and answered questions from staff. Following the interviews staff contacted
references for each of the design firms.
Architect Selection
Out of this process, HGA was selected as the best firm for the Wood Lake Nature Center Building Project.
HGA has the expertise to design and administer the construction of a building on a site with the complexities of
Wood Lake Nature Center. They have experience working on municipal nature centers and community
buildings having recently provided similar services for the construction of Westwood Hills Nature Center in St.
Louis Park, MN, and the Plymouth Community Center in Plymouth, MN. HGA is a large firm with in-house staff
for all aspects of design and construction administration, creating a strong and cohesive project team. They
were the only firm to have an equity coordinator as part of the project team. The City also has experience
working with HGA from the predesign process and HGA was the most cost-effective option among the firms
interviewed with a cost of 9.4% of the building construction cost.
Schematic Design Phase
Once selected, the building project team worked with HGA to engage the community in the design process,
tour similar facilities and develop a schematic design. As part of the engagement process two, three-hour open
house were held at Wood Lake Nature Center, a survey was conducted receiving 949 responses, and four
targeted engagement sessions were held. Staff toured five facilities with HGA to discuss floor plans,
operations, displays, and mechanical systems. These facilities were Eastman Nature Center in Maple Grove,
Spring Brook Nature Center in Fridley, Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis Park, MWMO building in
Minneapolis, and the Fraser facility in Woodbury. The feedback from the engagement sessions and information
from the facility tours was used to develop an initial schematic design.
B.EQUITABLE OR STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS OR IMPACTS
Equity: The public engagement process during the design phase of the project has focused on connecting
with disadvantaged communities that are currently underrepresented in the users of Wood Lake Nature Center.
Design also includes the goals of including feedback from a variety of community stakeholders, including the
disability community, the Latine community, low-income residents, residents who live close to Wood Lake,
visitors to Richfield, students who visit, and many more groups. Overall, the new building will provide increased
accessibility to more groups and current ADA guidelines will be met which currently are not. Community
engagement and a focus on designing a space welcoming to all are key pillars of the design process.
Strategic Plan: This project best aligns with the strategic plan priority of Sustainable Infrastructure addressing
all sub-initiatives of asset management, comprehensive funding, and sustainability efforts.
C.POLICIES (resolutions, ordinances, regulations, statutes, exc):
The building design must comply with SB2030 and B3 standards, which are requirements as a part of
receiving state bonding funds.
D.CRITICAL TIMING ISSUES:
Documents will be submitted for Land Use Approval December 16.
E.FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Total Project Cost: $26 million
Construction Costs: $19.5 million
Includes escalation, design contingency, construction contingency, general conditions, construction
management fees, bonds/insurance, and permitting.
Project Soft Costs: $6.5 Million
Includes professional services fees, fixtures/furniture/equipment (FFE), exhibits, testing/inspections, survey,
AV/Technology, owner contingency, etc.
Funding:
State Bonding - $12 million
Federal Grants - $3 million
Local Option Sales Tax Funding - $11 million
F.LEGAL CONSIDERATION:
None
ALTERNATIVE(S):
PRINCIPAL PARTIES EXPECTED AT MEETING:
Glen Waguespack - Architect, Design Principal Andrew Holmgren - Architect
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Image by Patrick Mustain
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