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CONTRACT K-1920-16: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND BETHESDA, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $25,000 FOR ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1700 NORTH PORTER AVENUE.
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BACKGROUND: On May 7, 2017 the Norman City Council approved the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018 (FYE18) Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Programs. Included in this Action Plan was an activity to provide a total of $25,000 for property acquisition to a 501(c)(3) organization. These funds were designated for acquisition of property for unspecified use by the organization.
On March 12, 2018, Request for Proposals RFP 1718-58 (Attachment A) was distributed to announce the availability of the $25,000 of funds budgeted in the FYE18 Action Plan for the Acquisition of Property for Non-Profit Use. Direct solicitation was made to non-profit entities in Norman. A legal notice was placed in the Norman Transcript (March 9, 2018; March 16, 2018) and the RFP was provided to United Way of Norman for distribution. The RFP was also available on the City of Norman website. Multiple inquiries were received by phone and email from interested parties, with one proposal being submitted. The single submittal was from Bethesda, Inc., a 501(c)(3) entity located in Norman that had recently launched a capital campaign for the development of a new office facility (Attachment B).
Bethesda, Inc., founded in 1982 is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, United Way agency. Their mission is to “Heal the trauma of childhood sexual abuse through therapy, education and prevention.”
The proposal submitted was to assist in the acquisition of a property located at 2700 Technology Place, Norman, OK that was previously occupied by IMMY. The proposal submitted was reviewed by a subcommittee of the Community Development Block Grant Policy Committee for completeness and project appropriateness.
DISCUSSION: Once the determination was made to award the funds to Bethesda, Inc. a site inspection was made and corresponding Environmental Review was completed. On June 15, 2018, Bethesda, Inc. was notified that the proposed site was no longer available for purchase. Discussing this with the Policy Committee, it was determined that the proposal that was submitted discussed a specific site but that the actual location was not a limiting factor in the award and once an alternative site could be identified the funding could proceed.
In November 2018, the location of 1700 N. Porter was identified by Bethesda, Inc. as a proposed site and purchase negotiations commenced. This is an undeveloped site that will allow for construction of a facility to meet their needs as opposed to the initial site which would have required considerable reconfiguration. A contract was negotiated with a proposed closing scheduled for the Fall of 2019. All CDBG funds will be applied to the acquisition of the property at closing. A Deed Restriction will be filed to secure the CDBG investment for a period of ten years. An Environmental Review has been completed and the property is eligible for CDBG funds.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of contract K-1920-16 with Bethesda, Inc. in the amount of $25,000 for the Acquisition of Property as described. Funds are available in CDBG 18, Design (account 021-4097-463.62-01; project GC0072) - $25,000.