Approval granted for general planning consultant contract

Ashby Johnson, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization executive director, requested the Transportation Policy Board’s approval of the General Planning Consultant Contract at the board meeting Monday evening. The request comes after an evaluation team decided on the services of Freese and Nichols, Inc. – a regionally based consulting firm that offers engineering, architecture, environmental science, construction and planning services – to support the current efforts being made related to the organization’s 2045 Regional Active Transportation Plan. “The purpose is to provide additional expertise and persons of power to CAMPO,” stated Johnson. Some attendees, however, questioned the need for additional support, asking whether outsourcing was the better alternative to hiring full-time staff members. In response, Johnson explained that not all roles were needed 100 percent of the time. The motion to approve the contract, which is estimated to cost $750,000 over a three-year time frame, passed unanimously.