Discussions continue about ways to provide a new public aquatic recreational activity in El Dorado as demolition of the Mattocks Park swimming pool wraps up.
During a regular meeting of the El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commission on March 29 — the day before demolition began –, questions about the project led to a lengthy discussion, during which commissioners and local architect Michael Rogers, of M R Designs, hashed out and clarified matters.
An EPPC subcommittee made up of commissioners Glenn Faust, Greg Harrison and David Hurst is working to draft requests for proposals (RFPs) for three options:
• A zero-entry, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)- accessible pool with a section for four swim lanes.
• A larger pool and a smaller, kiddie pool.
• A splash-pad only.
Faust previously explained that the subcommittee plans to present the drafts to the full commission, adding that the RFPs will solicit contractors to design and manage the project.
He said the first phase of the process will include firming up descriptions, designs and budgets based on conceptual designs that were drafted and presented last year by M R Designs.
Therein lies the rub.
Faust said a contractor/project manager would flesh out the design concepts and come up with cost estimates for the option that is selected.
The decision will be made with public input, which will entail public hearings.
However, Rogers said that while the conceptual designs were paid for by the city, they are the property of and copyrighted by M R Designs. He made statements indicating that he does not favor using the designs as a basis for RFPs or requests for qualifications (RFQs) or having them modified by another contractor.
“I don’t think that’s how we want to do business,” Rogers said.
Faust noted that the EPPC did not request the materials.
Rogers said M R Designs is contracted to provide architectural services for the Department of Public Works, later adding that the DPW requested the conceptual designs in late 2020.
Rogers told commissioners that he has been following the Mattocks pool project to gain a better understanding of the intentions behind the process and M R Designs’ involvement.
He pointed out that M R Designs is working on several projects for the city of El Dorado, via the DPW, and is licensed to offer full architectural services in nine states.
“(I) just mainly wanted to put that out there, seeing where the pool project is and just seeing, kind of, where we might be able to assist in that,” Rogers said. “At the same time, just in general, being able to provide those services to you as well.”
He reiterated that firm is interested in the Mattocks pool project, which, he said, is a local job that fills a need in the community.
“At the end of July, we presented some stuff and really, haven’t been able to assist, it seems like, since then by much,” Rogers said.
He said M R Designs can take on the various phases of the project, including the bid process. Alexander inquired about how such an arrangement would work.
“If we say, ‘Hey, we want to resurface the tennis courts,’ how do we know there’s money to do that?” Alexander asked.
Rogers pointed back to the design concepts for the Mattocks Park aquatics feature, telling Alexander that M R Designs created the material without input from the EPPC.
“It was from living in El Dorado, knowing the community, kind of seeing some of the conversations that had happened and coming to the table with something that we best felt served the community,” Rogers said.
In such an instance, M R would work with the EPPC to drum up support from the community, city officials and the El Dorado Works Board and then nail down plans and cost estimates.
He advised EPPC members that contractors, design professionals and the community are not likely to get behind “something that we don’t know is even going to happen.”
“That’s my exact issue, is all this stuff that has to happen and then we say we can’t do it,” Alexander said.
Faust said Rogers’ comments match the process that the EPPC is already following, starting with making sure funds are available for a project manager to investigate and “get us close to what actually needs to be funded” — a process Faust called phase one.
“You may be on retainer for some hours but not nearly what it’s going to take to pull this off,” Faust told Rogers.
Faust later apologized for some of the verbiage he used after Rogers explained that M R Designs is not constrained by time or a retainer for the work it does with the city.
“It is not a retainer. It is a percentage of whatever the construction cost is of whatever we produce,” Rogers explained.
While M R is interested in working on the Mattocks project, Rogers stressed, “This is not me saying you have to use me or anything like that. I want to be clear on that.”
Faust said he wants to keep the process transparent and flesh out the project more before taking any recommendations/funding requests to EWB members or city officials.
Rogers then inquired about phase one and which components of the project would be priced at that point.
Faust said the first phase entails developing a fully fleshed-out end design, with input from professionals and the public; compiling cost estimates for construction and a long-term operating budget; and information about grant opportunities.
The next phase, Faust said, would be to bid the project.
He said the EPPC will not find a local, full, comprehensive architectural firm with all of the services in-house.
Harrison, who also chairs the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex Commission, said the commission encountered a similar situation with an ongoing renovation and expansion project for the complex.
“We were told that at the end of the day that the city writes the checks, so we didn’t have any input as far as the project engineer that was selected,” Harrison said.
Faust said the EPPC could consider scrapping M R’s conceptual designs and starting anew.
“Nobody on this committee asked for the original drawings,” he said.
Rogers said MR Designs gave the EPPC “a great heads-up” eight months ago and the project seemingly has not advanced since then.
“The way it was presented to me was those were three things that were going to be taken to the community for community input, not for someone else to bid the design aspect of it,” Rogers said.
Hicks asked if the EPPC is sure the EWB and city council will approve funding for the project.
“A lot of emotions run high and it’s going to get worse. Personally, me, I have never been asked, yes or no, are we putting a pool in Mattocks Park?” Hicks said. “I don’t know if we have ever even voted yes, we’re doing this, or no, we’re not doing this.”
Alexander agreed, saying, “We haven’t because everything has just kind of been floating around.”
Faust said the question about the best location for a public aquatics facility in the city will be posed during the community-wide meetings.
“It may or may not be Mattocks Park. It very well could be, but that’s where we solicit the community’s feedback,” he said.
Commissioners agreed that they need to iron out more details and EPPC subcommittee members said they would convene a meeting to continue work on the RFPs and report back to the full EPPC later this month.
