QUESTION
What strategies have contributed to the accelerated pace of capital projects in parks?
3:21:01
·
170 sec
The parks department has been able to decrease the total timeline for capital projects through various reforms and strategies.
- Utilizing prequalified contractor lists to shorten the selection process by 1-3 months
- Focusing on M/WBE firms through the MWE small purchase method for projects up to $1.5 million
- Improving coordination with City Hall and utility companies for timely utility connections
- Enhancing collaboration with sister agencies like DEP and DOBs for streamlined permitting
Justin L. Brannan
3:21:01
I've noticed the capital projects are moving much quicker than they have in the past, which is great, obviously.
3:21:09
Why is that happening?
3:21:10
What did we what what did we figure out?
Therese Braddock
3:21:13
Thank you.
3:21:13
I'd like to record that statement.
Sue Donoghue
3:21:15
Exactly.
3:21:16
Or the record I
Justin L. Brannan
3:21:17
mean, I'll say it all day.
Therese Braddock
3:21:18
I I I I'm not sure that I've ever heard that.
3:21:21
And at least
Justin L. Brannan
3:21:21
Look, when when you know, look, I've made it when when I got elected, I realized that most of the play grounds and parks in my district hadn't been renovated since I was a kid.
3:21:32
So, you know, basic doing just about every park in playground.
3:21:36
I'm trying to renovate, and I'm getting there.
3:21:38
But I like to be able to tell my constituents that their kids won't be in Yale by the time the playground is finished, but it's certainly gotten better.
3:21:47
And I'm trying to figure out if that's just I got lucky because you got a crew from a from place?
3:21:51
Or are we now basically about 11 to 12 months soup to nuts?
3:21:57
Is that what we're at?
Therese Braddock
3:21:59
So the the total time frame has definitely decreased.
3:22:02
Thank you very much, council member, for for recognizing that.
3:22:05
There are a lot of different reasons why that has started to happen and recognizing that capital projects spanned over a series of years.
3:22:14
It has taken us a while for you to actually feel those differences.
3:22:18
A lot of that this particular administration in particular created a capital process reform task force immediately at the beginning of the administration and collectively worked with all capital agencies to come up with some really good recommendations on how to shorten the time frame for capital projects.
3:22:37
And the parks department in particular has employed for a long time now.
3:22:42
We worked collectively internally to come up with reforms, to decrease those timelines.
3:22:48
So a few examples for things like that is we're now starting to use a lot more prequalified list, which shortens the time frame by 1 to 3 months to find a good qualified contractor.
3:23:01
We're really focusing quite a bit on MWAEs.
3:23:05
And in particular using the MWE small purchase method, which that method just recently increased up to 1,500,000.
3:23:13
We use that as a default for all of our projects, and that has helped us.
3:23:18
We are working very closely with City Hall to better coordinate things with utility companies.
3:23:24
That is also something that has kept our projects from moving forward when we can to get our utilities connected.
3:23:33
But we're also working with each other, particularly just in general, on permitting with our sister agencies, whether that be DEP or DOBs.
3:23:41
We're working and collaborating on how to shorten the time frame for everyone.
3:23:46
So it's a combination of all those things collectively that has helped us.