The long-awaited Request for Proposal for the proposed Mesquite Indoor Sports Center was issued Thursday, July 12 by City officials to two Design-Build (D-B) teams.

The City Council approved two D-B teams at its Mar. 12 meeting. Pride Contractors/Forsgren Associates and CORE Construction/Tate Snyder Kimsey must submit their proposed designs to the City by Aug 14. Should the Council decide to go forward with the project, they are scheduled to select the most qualified applicant at their Sept. 11 meeting. The tentative timeline given in the RFP shows a construction completion date of Mar. 1, 2013.

While several Councilmen and Mayor Mark Wier have indicated they are strong proponents of building the proposed sports complex, most of them have said their final decision will be based on the cost estimates of both building the facility and future operations and maintenance costs.

Indeed, one of the RFP's requirements is for the D-B teams to submit “a report detailing the building and surrounding property operation and maintenance costs for a 25-year operational use period. The costs should be broken down into different categories and shown on an annual basis.”

The RFP only lists one proposed location for the facility and that is adjacent to the Mesquite Sports and Events Center located at the base of the Flat Top Mesa. In separate interviews with Wier and Councilmen KraigHafen, George Rapson, GenoWithelder, and Al Litman, they all indicated they were willing to consider alternate locations for the facility. “Because of how the Council approval was framed back in March, if we had included alternate locations in the RFP we would have had to start all over,” Wier told the MCJ.(Councilman Karl Gustaveson declined to be interviewed by the MCJ.)

City Staff has previously pegged the estimated cost of the facility at $5 million. That is the minimum amount necessary under Nevada Revised Statutes to qualify the project as a ‘design-build’ concept. It is possible to continue it as a design-build project even if it the cost estimates come in lower than $5 million.

The RFP requests information from the D-B teams for the overall project cost. “This is the maximum amount that the Design-Build Team would charge to perform the work outlined in the proposal, excluding any amount related to costs that may be incurred as a result of unexpected conditions or occurrences as authorized by the contract. This maximum amount may or may not include certain bid alternatives.”

The RFP also says, “The overall project cost that is submitted needs to be broken down into a line-item submittal.”

City Staff previously suggested that the remaining $2.5 million in the Redevelopment Agency bond fund be used to help fund the facility. Other sources of money include $250,000 from the Street Maintenance fund, $250,000 from the Vehicle/Equipment Replacement Fund, and $100,000 from the Residential Construction Tax Park Fund as possible ways to reach the required $5 million dollar threshold.

See Mesquite Citizen Journal story Staff Proposes Raiding Department Budgets for MISC Funding.

Other proposed funding sources from previous Council meeting background material include:

Funding Source	Amount
Original Proposed Funding Sources
NCS	$350,000
Pride Contractors (JDA)	$200,000
MesTech (JDA)	$350,000-$500,000
RDA Bond, 2009 Series	$2,500,000
RDA, Property Tax	$1,000,000
Additional Potential Funding Sources
Street Maintenance Fund	$250,000
Vehicle/Equip Replacement Fund	$250,000
Residential Construction Tax Park Fund	$100,000
Bonds	0-$6,000,000
Total with Bond	$5 mil to $11 mil
Total without Bond	$5 mil to $5.150 mil

Click here for a copy of the proposed funding sources made available in the Spring. The $350,000 listed from NCS (Nevada Community Solutions) is no longer available since the City Council cancelled its land development agreement with the company several months ago.

During the Council’s budget hearings in May, Councilman George Rapson stated that after the replies are received from the two design/build teams, the costs will be presented to the Council who will then decide whether to go forward with the project. "They will come back with the costs and designs and then we will discuss the potential funding," Rapson reiterated.

No funding for the proposed event center wasincluded in the budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13, other than the $25,000 for each D-B team’s proposal work, for a total of $50,000.

See Mesquite Citizen Journal story Council Approves Design/Build for MISC - Videos.

The RFP document also says “the rough and final grading, technical drainage study, necessary permitting and site work necessary to complete the project should be included in theoverall project cost.”

Other design requirements listed are sidewalks, curbing, parking lot, landscaping, and facility uses. The facility use requirement says, “The primary use of this facility will be for indoor athletic events. The facility can also be programmed to allow for other large scale events to be held in the structure. Programming should allow for maximum flexibility and ease of use when changing from one use to another.”

The structure size requirement says “The main field should be able to house at least a full-size football field with endzones with comfortable room for about 1,500 spectators with removable seating on one side and a team area on the other side (i.e. approximately an area of 85,000 square feet. The sidewalls should be approximately 30 feet high with straight walls. At the center, the interior ceiling should be approximately 70 feet high.”

Two requirements address the type of flooring the City is seeking in the RFP. “The main field should be at least a full-sized football field with comfortable room for spectators, seating around the outside edges and made of synthetic turf. The size of turf and turf design should be able to accommodate four small soccer fields.”

The second requirement describes the appropriate floor covering saying, “Because of the multi-use nature of this facility, a sectional floor covering that allows for other uses is necessary. The floor covering should be simple to assemble, disassemble, maintain, and store.”

One of the alternatives listed in the RFP calls for a concrete floor. “The MISC could be used for a variety of uses and events. Some of those uses may require a solid concrete floor capable of supporting heavy construction equipment, large trucks and the like. The concrete floor should be six inches thick and a 4” x 4” wire mesh or equivalent.”

Support facilities included in the RFP include restrooms, separate team rooms, green rooms to accommodate performing artists, lockable concession stands, a medical room, and administration and security offices.

In addition to the concrete floor alternative, the RFP lists five other possible alternatives for the design: Bleacher seating for 1,200 people; two-story support structure with an observation deck on top of the structure; filming nests; scoreboards; and a public announcement system. The RFP calls for the proposal submission to include separate bids for each of the alternatives.

Each D-B Team will receive a minimum of $25,000 for their work on the RFP. If the City Council actually approves the construction of the proposed facility, the winning team will receive their $25,000 as part of the overall costs.

Click here to access a copy of the RFP.