Consistent with the City's goal to be a beautiful, safe and livable place, the Parks and Recreation Department wishes to convert their natural turf football, soccer and baseball fields at Patrician A. Mishcon Park into artificial turf soccer fields.
The Patricia A. Mishcon Park athletic fields are home to the City’s baseball, football and soccer programs and are used extensively throughout the year. The usage at these fields greatly exceeds normal levels. As a result, the field is in constant need of repair and attention. Each year, the fields require grading, top-dressing and sodding just to maintain safe playing conditions. The excessive maintenance costs lead to either limiting or eliminating league play.
An artificial alternative to natural grass is being selected more expansively by cities such as ours. Despite higher up-front costs, artificial turf offers substantially increased hours of use, virtually unlimited playability, without wear and tear. The temperature-mitigating properties of artificial turf allow for cooler playing surfaces. The costs of maintenance is significantly lower than natural grass. It does not require irrigation, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or mowing and striping.
Section 3-4.3 of the City’s Code of Ordinances allows for the use of other governmental entities’ contracts upon a determination that the supplies, materials, equipment or contractual services needed by the City were purchased using solicitation procedures which are substantially equivalent to the City’s Purchasing requirements.
The Procurement Management Division, in providing due diligence, reviewed substantially similar governmental contracts and has determined that it is prudent to piggyback and utilize the Sourcewell (formerly NJPA – National Joint Powers Alliance) Contract RFP #060518 “Athletic Surfacing with Related Materials, Supplies, Installation and Services", awarded to FieldTurf USA, Inc. The contract was awarded on August 7, 2018 through August 7, 2022.
The sports fields at Mishcon Park total approximately 127,896 square feet. This is a design-build project which includes surveys, site work, design services, removal of the existing natural grass, drainage and construction. The estimated cost is $1,920,000.
The purchase also includes turf supply and installation, grooming equipment, football goals, field markings of the football, soccer and baseball fields and soil remediation treatment. There is eight (8) year insured warranty on the product. The surface is expected to last ten (10) years.
In September 2019, the city hired Stantec Consulting Services, an engineering firm, to assess and evaluate regulated containments in the soil and groundwater at the site so that a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) could be submitted and approved by the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources Division of Environmental Resources Management (“DERM”).
Section 3-3.14 of the City’s Code of Ordinances provides that contracts in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) shall be awarded by the City Commission.