HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7117 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7117
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Qoer To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 27, 19£36
ldAg. Subject: STATUS REPORT ON BUS BENCH ADVERTISING CONTRACT
The City awarded a five year contract to Public Bench Ads, Inc. , on
February 1, 1982, for the provision of bus benches along bus routes in the
city. This contract expires on January 31, 1987. Under the provisions of
the contract, the contractor owns the benches, provides for maintenance and
upkeep of the benches, provides trash pick-up and trimming of grassy areas
around benches, sells advertising on the benches and pays a fee, currently
$15,760 annually. This revenue is detailed in the FWTA-City operating
agreement as a revenue to FWTA and helps offset system operating expenses.
Although the contract provides for up to 500 benches, currently there are
366 located -on bus routes in the City. All benches are in areas zoned com-
mercial or industrial .
This informal report is provided in response to several Councilmembers` re-
quest for additional information regarding (1) the City's present contract
and (2) the FWTA and staff recommendations for the future. In exchange for
the privilege of locating benches in the public right-of-way, the current
contract requires the contractor to:
1. Pay a fee (currently $15,760 annually).
2. Provide for the upkeep/maintenance of the benches on a- regular
schedule.
3. Provide trash pick-up and trimming of grassy areas around benches
on a regular basis.
4. Sell advertising on the benches.
It is the last requirement that is crucially important to the contractor
because it provides the basic justification for the contractor to pursue
the contract.
The Contractor reports to the Director of Transportation and Public Works
who has designated Nancy Amos as the Contract Administrator. The actual
on-the-street monitoring of this work is performed by City and CITRAN per-
sonnel who report to Ms. Amos.
CURRENT CONTRACTOR
The present contractor provides a local Manager who is the direct contact.
He is responsible for selling the advertising as well as coordinating the
maintenance personnel and equipment . The present contractor implemented a
system of serial numbers, computerized the bench listings and installed
messages on the back of each bench so that a citizen can call directly if
there is a problem with a particular bench.
ISSUED BY THE CiTY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS ------
INFORMAL REPORT TO CiTY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7117 - p,2
yMh,Tt h�q
;Q4 EQAt�A To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 27, 1986
Subject: STATUS REPORT ON BUS BENCH ADVERTISING CONTRACT
The contractor has been responsive to calls and concerns of the City. For
example, one particular ad deemed "inappropriate" by Ms. Amos was removed
on the same day that the phone call was made. A number of benches were
removed from the Cultural District in response to citizens'comments; how-
ever, some do remain at key bus stops. Benches will not be used on Houston
and Throckmorton Streets downtown when the bus spine project is completed
because seating areas are already 'a part of the new facilities under
construction. Two recent cultural activities had "free" advertising on the
benches: Garden Festival '86 and the Main Street Arts Festival .
Some Council members will recall some problems in the past with advertising
on benches or the location of benches. Staff research determined that the
contract had appropriate terms for remedying the problem; a more diligent
monitoring/enforcement effort was necessary from the staff. That effort has
been implemented with satisfactory results.
FWTA'S RECOMMENDATION
On June 14, 1984, the FWTA Executive Committee recommended that a bus bench
contract be authorized by City Council in order to continue to realize the
positive benefits. They believe the benefits merited this decision. If the
City Council were to decide to not all-ow this usage of the right-of-way,
FWTA Executive Committee would have to address the need for benches for
patrons by purchasing and maintaining the benches and the surrounding area
by budgeting $200,000 initially and $50,000 per year for annual main-
tenance. The proposed Request for Proposal was discussed again at the May
8, 1986, FWTA board meeting; and the recommendation of the FWTA had not
changed.
CITY STAFF'S COMMENT
It is City Staff' s recommendation that an RFP be prepared and a responsive
contractor be retained to provide this service. It is further recommended
that the contract' s terms provide the necessary control mechanism for City
staff to effectively monitor the contractor's performance and compliance as
directed by the City Council .
SUMMARY
Staff will await direction from City Council regarding whether or not to
proceed with the RFP.
ougl as Harman "" ►
City Manager
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ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS -----