Public Process to Develop a Town Vision and Values Statement (Phase 1) for the Town of Falmouth, ME

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Consultant Services To Conduct a Public Process to Develop a Town Vision and Values Statement (Phase 1) for the Town of Falmouth, Maine

The Town of Falmouth, Maine (“Town”) is seeking submission of Consultant Statements of Qualifications to conduct a public process to develop a Town Vision and Values statement (Phase 1). The purpose of this request is to determine who is interested and professionally qualified to perform the work. The Town reserves the right to negotiate and enter into a contract, subsequent to this initial RFQ. Statements of Qualification must be submitted by 2:00 PM on January 21, 2020.

Scope of Work – Phase 1

The Town of Falmouth is interested to update its 2013 Comprehensive Plan. Prior to commencing this work, the Town wants to conduct Phase 1 of this work - develop a Town Vision and Values statement to inform the comprehensive plan update. The Town envisions the consultant to develop and conduct a robust public process that will lead to such a statement.
This work will be overseen by the Town Council and applicable committees.

Potential Additional Scope of Work – Phase 2

The Town reserves the right to enter into a contract with the consultant for services pertaining to Phase 2 - assisting the Town with updating the 2013 Comprehensive Plan.

For Phase 2, the Town anticipates that the updated Comprehensive Plan will meet the requirements for consistency with the goals and guidelines of the Growth Management Act (30-A M.R.S.A. §§ 4312 - 4350). It includes:
• the vision statement that summarizes the community’s desired future community character (result from Phase 1 work);
• a summary of the public participation process undertaken;
• a regional coordination program;
• minimum required analyses, condition and trend data, policies, and strategies;
• a Future Land Use Plan with associated maps and narrative;
• an implementation section; and,
• provision for future periodic evaluation of the plan and its implementation.

Submissions

Interested and qualified parties should submit a Statement of Qualifications describing the party’s expertise as it relates to this project. In particular, the response should include the following elements:

• Qualifications of the consultant, including details on key team members to be assigned to the project, for Phase 1 (as well as Phase 2 if the consultant is interested to be considered for this work).
• Statement of project understanding.
• The consultant’s considerations regarding the proposed scope of work.
• A listing of similar projects completed (including references) by the consultant.
• Availability for interview between February 3-7, 2020.

The deadline for submitting a Statement of Qualifications is January 21, 2020 at 2:00 PM. Submittals sent via e-mail will be accepted. Responses and any questions about this request should be directed  to:

Nathan Poore, Town Manager
Town of Falmouth
271 Falmouth Road
Falmouth, ME 04105
207-699-5314
npoore@falmouthme.org

Questions

Any questions or changes to this RFQ will be posted on the Town’s web page at https://www.falmouthme.org/current-bids-rfps/pages/current-bids-rfps. Interested parties should consult the web page prior to submitting their Statement of Qualifications.

Schedule

Issue RFQ: December 12, 2019
Deadline for submissions: January 21, 2020, 2:00 PM
Review Team interviews: February 3-7, 2020 (tentative)
Council review submissions/recommendation: February 10, 2020
Public comment: February 24, 2020
Council decision: February 24, 2020

Evaluation

Submissions will be evaluated by the Town Council. Submissions will be evaluated on their expertise, experience, and service delivery capabilities using the following criteria:

• Qualifications and previous work-related experience on similar projects.
• Understanding of the project’s objectives.
• References from recent related projects.

Reservations

The Town reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, or to request additional information, waive any conditions or criteria set forth in this Request for Qualifications and accept any proposal it may deem to be in the interest of the Town.

Vision Background

According to the 2003 Community Visioning Handbook by the former Maine State Planning Office, a community vision is a “mental picture of what residents want their community to look and feel like in 20 years.” It describes the desired future community character.

The Handbook states that the purpose of a vision statement is “to capture a picture of the community’s future that any resident quickly can grasp and appreciate. This vision does not represent one individual’s or just one group’s point of view. It must represent the consensus of a group of people (…). A vision that works helps a community to reach for goals above and beyond what normally might be expected, to discover possibilities that were not apparent before. A good vision is a stretch, but still in the realm of the achievable. A good vision motivates people to take action together. A good vision makes people feel hopeful, optimistic, and focused. A good vision is presented in words and images that are concrete and easily understandable. A vision provides a test for determining appropriate policies in a community’s Comprehensive Plan. It provides an explanation to the public of why the plan is the way it is. And it is a yardstick for determining the effectiveness of the plan and its policies over time.”

2013 Comprehensive Plan Vision

Based on community input obtained through multiple surveys, meetings, and interviews, the 2013 Comprehensive Plan arrived at the following vision to help guide that plan:

Falmouth in the early 2020’s…. a smart town, with great neighborhoods

Imagine... It is 2023. Ten years have passed since the Long Range Plan was approved. The Town has visibly come together in the direction residents and businesses desired. The progress feels good.

Four major motivations helped to focus this direction.
• Our tradition of fiscal and management prudence,
• Our desire to move the local economy forward; encouraging business development and expansion to the benefit of all residents,
• Our recognition that demographics are changing with the “graying of America” and population diversity, and
• Our long passion and commitment to open space.

Three themes give shape to this plan’s vision for Falmouth:
1. Commercial Hubs and Economic Development
2. Conservation, Protection, and Connectivity
3. Diverse Residential Opportunities

Falmouth has kept a balanced tax base by funding further investments through effective economic development. We improved the overall business environment and attracted new employers, who have populated the two commercial hubs in Falmouth along portions of Route 1 and Route 100. They attract an even flow of jobs, both stable and seasonal, that also benefit local residents. This has created a new community of consumers during weekdays and, for residents, a more dynamic area for shopping and entertainment on weekends. These commercial areas are welcoming — with green spaces for gathering and relaxing — enhancing our sense of community.

Trails connect these commercial hubs with other Town areas, in keeping with the Open Space vision: extensive Town open spaces form a green network that connects many areas of the Town and surrounding communities, enabling varied types of activity — promoting a healthy environment. This network connects through paths, trails, and bike paths that give residents access to parks, fields, and places of solace and natural beauty.

Residents enjoy a myriad of housing opportunities that can fit changing life circumstances; housing that affords easy maintenance — with cost and energy efficiencies. There are neighborhoods that offer convenient and walkable access to services and entertainment, and others that offer privacy and quiet in a rural environment. Our geographic location and public transportation provide residents easy connections to businesses, entertainment, and the arts in surrounding areas.

Collaboration among, and coordination between, Town departments, our outstanding schools, and our local businesses, and clear rules and permit process enable the community to grow; keeping Falmouth lively and sustainable year-round.

We call it “home.”

Town Background

The Comprehensive Plan was unanimously adopted by the Town Council in 2013 and again in 2014, following minor amendments to gain approval from the State of Maine. Since then, the Town has actively implemented the plan.

Zoning amendments adopted in 2016 were aimed at one of the key recommendations of the plan: increasing the share of growth in the designated growth area to a significant majority of all new residential growth and diversifying housing inventory. However, subsequent infill development received some opposition, which led to a reversal of those amendments by the Town Council in 2019.

In addition, several recent proposed development projects generated significant neighborhood opposition, including a multi-use complex on Route 1 that matched the 2013 Comprehensive Plan.

At the same time, the Town Council determined that the 2013 Comprehensive Plan should be updated to lay a solid basis for any future land use decisions, but that prior to that, the Town should undertake a public process to identify the Town’s vision and values to help inform the comprehensive plan update process. This task has the top priority in the Council’s Work Plan for 2019-2020.