Approval of Molsen Farm consultant deal put on hold

A decision on whether or not two consultants should be hired to help kick-start the city of Allen's six-year-old Molsen Farm project has been put on hold.

The city council opted to delay its decision at the June 12 workshop, where staff recommended initiating Phase I of Steve Carlson and Kenny Chandler's two-step plan to expand the scope of the project.

Carlson and Chandler, who would do the work under the name Civiture, LLC, have been working with the parks and recreation department to develop ideas for the farm for a year and first approached the council with their ideas in January.

The city originally envisioned the farm as equal parts recreational park and education facility, teaching residents about the agricultural history of the area and sustainable landscaping practices in an open, park-like setting. Civiture's vision would expand that premise to include on-site academic research, agricultural training and market-level sustainable food production through partnerships with private companies and universities. Carlson and Chandler's ties to the sustainability-minded Slow Money investment network would provide a framework whereby investors could be attracted to the project.

As explained by Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Brian Bristow at the workshop, Phase I of Civiture's proposal would include an assessment of what work has already been done, a definition of "goals and principles" for the expanded project, the launch of a publicity campaign, and identification of possible sources of funding and outside partnerships. The consultant's fee for this phase would be $30,875.

After this initial phase, Bristow said, the city would come to a "decision point" on whether or not to enter Phase II, which would focus on creating a refined plan and business model through stakeholder meetings, a public input meeting and the development of a new master plan. Phase II would cost the city $71,500.

Council member Robin Sedlacek expressed hesitation about diving headfirst into Phase I, specifically regarding Civiture's reimbursable expenses for travel, research and promotional work, which were not defined by dollar amount in the scope of work document given to the council. She also expressed concern that bringing the property east of the farm alongside Greenville Avenue to wider attention through promotional and fundraising efforts would compromise the city's ability to acquire it.

"Is it going to be swiped out from under us?" Sedlacek said. "Is it still going to be available? I don't know. ... I think we're probably four years away from being able to really look at even considering developing that farm."

Council member Ross Obermeyer, who helped connect Carlson and Chandler with the city, said the agreement would require an insignificant amount of money compared to the benefit of finding out what kind of opportunities exist for the project. If monetary concerns persist after Phase 1, he said, the city can choose not to proceed with Phase 2 and bring the project back to where it is now.

"If [Civiture] can't get the money, it's just going to sit there just like it's sitting there anyway," he said. "So, from a mere small investment, we'll find out what's out there and what's available."

City Manager Peter Vargas recommended the council take another six months to receive further information about the proposal before revisiting the issue.

"What I'm hearing tonight is that there is some reluctance, and so we don't want to get started on something like this when there isn't general confidence we can succeed," he said.

The Allen Parks Foundation purchased the 52-acre property in January 2006. A 2010 master plan, prepared by Halff Associates, calls for a 6,000-square-foot environmental education center, a three-acre tree farm, two greenhouses, a community garden, seasonal livestock pens, an interpretive farming exhibit, prairie habitat restoration and reforestation.

Funding for design and planning exists in the form of city funds and a matching $150,000 county grant. Bonds were also approved by voters in 2006 to pay for the $500,000 educational center.

Bristow said the city will continue to work with Halff on the design process, the first phase of which is planned to start in July.

"Mr. Chandler and Mr. Carlson are certainly capable of making their idea happen elsewhere if not in Allen," Bristow said. "The outcome of tonight's meeting suggests that the concept of partnering municipal services with outside investments and research and development of focused on 'sustainable' agriculture is too unpredictable to tackle right now. That's understandable given an economy that is still in recovery. I left the workshop, however, with a sense that there is still enough curiosity, maybe even interest, in the concept that we might be revisiting this sooner than later."

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