REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: AARON A. AGUIRRE, Director Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department BY: JENNIFER SOLIZ, Senior Management Analyst Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services Department SUBJECT ..Title Actions pertaining to Community Gardens: 1. Award a two-year professional services agreement in an amount not to exceed $40,000 per year to Fresno Metropolitan "Metro" Ministry for Community Garden Liaison services at three City of Fresno community gardens with the option of two, one-year extensions. (Council Districts 3 and 5) 2. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all related documents. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council award a two-year contract in the amount not to exceed $40,000 per year to Fresno Metro Ministry for community garden liaison services at three community gardens with the option of two, one-year extensions. Staff also recommend that Council authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all related documents. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Fresno PARCS Department solicited proposals through the competitive request for proposals (RFP) process for community garden liaison services. Staff recommend Council award a two-year professional services agreement with the option of two, one-year extensions, in an amount not to exceed $40,000 per year to Fresno Metro Ministry for Community Garden Liaison services. BACKGROUND The City of Fresno PARCS Department currently has three active community garden facilities open to residents; South Peach Community Garden, the Al Radka Community Garden and the Lowell Community Garden. Combined, these gardens offer 183 garden plots on approximately 4.34 acres. According to the Parks Master Plan (2017), the goal of community gardens is to provide ornamental vegetation, produce locally grown food, and create community gathering spaces. On April 5, 2023, the PARCS department released an RFP for community garden liaison services through Planet Bids. The RFP was open for 24 days and received one bidder, Fresno Metro Ministry. The evaluation committee consisting of four PARCS staff convened on May 8, 2023, to evaluate the proposal. The evaluation committee determined that Fresno Metro Ministry demonstrated relevant experience with community garden liaison services, including 15 years of experience working with over 200 community gardeners. Fresno Metro Ministry's proposal demonstrated an ability to provide services in multiple languages and presented plans to engage gardeners to build gardening skill and a sense of community. The scoring committee recommended awarding a two-year agreement with option of two, one-year extensions to Fresno Metro Ministry for community garden liaison services in amount not to exceed $40,000 per year. Staff recommends that the Council award a two-year contract in the amount not to exceed $40,000 per year to Fresno Metro Ministry for community garden liaison services at three community gardens with the option of two, one-year extensions. Staff also recommend that the Council authorize the City Manager or designee to execute all related documents. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This item is not considered a project for the purposes of CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Fresno Metro Ministry is located in the City of Fresno. FISCAL IMPACT The PARCS Department has appropriated funding for Community Garden Liaison services into the FY23 and FY24 budgets Attachments: Request for Proposals Community Liaison Services Agreement