Title
Contract for General Services, Agreement No. AGR19-29 with Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation in the Amount of $682,690.26, plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax, for the Purpose of Visitor Center Operation and Management
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve Contract for General Services, Agreement No. AGR19-29 with Los Alamos Commerce and Development in the Amount of $682,690.26, plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax, for the Purpose of Visitor Center Operation and Management.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve this Contract for General Services as requested.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
Tourism Implementation Task Force recommends the new location of the Los Alamos Visitor Center (see Attachment B).
Body
Through AGR15-4178 and amendment A1, A2 and A3, Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corporation (LACDC) operates and manages the two County visitor centers. This agreement is currently set to expire on December 31, 2018. The Tourism Strategic Plan recommended that the Los Alamos Visitor Center (located at 109 Central Park Square) be relocated. When Council approved amendment A3 in June 2018, the Tourism Implementation Task Force had just begun the study and analysis necessary to provide Council with a recommendation for an alternate location for the Los Alamos visitor center. As shown in Attachment B, the Tourism Implementation Task Force completed their analysis by establishing defined criteria, priorities, and scoring rubrics. The analysis also included visiting the locations. In the end, the Task Force recommended five locations as possible relocation sites for the Los Alamos Visitor Center (LAVC) in the short term. Staff reviewed all five locations recommended by the Task Force for on-going costs (lease and operation costs) and one-time costs (relocation, build outs, etc.). It was determined that by moving the LAVC to a County-owned facility, costs would be decreased by eliminating the leasing cost. The only County-owned facility on the recommended list was the current NMSU Cooperative Extension office in the Community Building (475 20th Street, Suite A; adjacent to the Los Alamos Teen Center).
With this determination of the location of the LAVC, the County issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Visitor Center Management and Operation on October 28, 2018 and closed on November 27, 2018. This RFP delineated that the two County Visitor Centers would be located at 475 20th Street, Suite A and 115 State Road 4 (current White Rock Visitor Center location). One response was received, evaluated and found responsive. The agreement AGR19-29 (Attachment A) is the result of negotiation with that respondent (LACDC). The highlights of the agreement are:
--operation of two visitor centers year-round and closed only for six holidays
--increased hours of operation at the White Rock Visitor Center during the Bandelier shuttle operation season (mid-May through mid-October)
--collection of visitation data from local attractions
--visitor assistance services via telephone, email, internet posts or in person
--distribution of visitor information including official LAC Visitor Guide within Los Alamos County and throughout the state of New Mexico
--maintenance and updating of visitor website: visitlosalamos.org
--coordination with Tourism Marketing contractor, Lodgers’ Tax Advisory Board, Tourism Implementation Task Force and others as needed to support implementation of Tourism Strategic Plan
--up to two (2) contract review presentations to County staff and Council, as requested
If approved, the relocation process of the LAVC will be completed. Due to several County service providers being moved to accommodate this relocation, it is anticipated that there will be a short lapse in operation of the LAVC that should not extend beyond March 1, 2019. The WRVC would continue to operate during this time.
Alternatives
Council could choose not to approve this agreement and direct staff to issue another request for proposal or discontinue these services.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
The change to the location of the Los Alamos Visitor Center to a County owned facility enabled the cost of the service to be maintained with a slight decrease instead of a substanial increase with the use of leased space that had been previously contemplated. There is no additional fiscal or staff impact with the new agreement.
Attachments
A - AGR19-29_LACDC_Visitor Center_FINAL
B - Recommendation Letter from Tourism Implementation Task Force