Mill Valley board picks firm for Boyle Park plan

The Mill Valley Parks and Recreation Commission has endorsed a consulting firm to develop a master plan for Boyle Park upgrades.

The commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend that the City Council award a contract to RHAA Landscape Architects and Planners. The company is based in Mill Valley.

“It’s also a company that has a longtime relationship with the city and Boyle Park specifically,” said Ashley Howe, the city’s recreation director. “This firm has performed the master plan for the first and second master planning of Boyle Park so this would be the third time around, which is a nice trilogy.”

Updating Boyle Park is among the city’s priority projects. A group of stakeholders and commissioners has been working on the project since last September.

The working group included tennis players, representatives of the Mill Valley Soccer Club, representatives of the Mill Valley Little League, residents with dogs, members of Mill Valley StreamKeepers and nearby neighbors, according to a city staff report.

Potential changes to the park include renovating the restrooms, athletic fields and tennis courts; creating a bicycle pump track; and restoring Warner Creek.

“It was a very good process,” said Chris Kearney, vice chair of the parks commission. “We had great involvement in terms of the working group from all facets of the user group interested in Boyle Park.”

The city issued a request for proposals over the summer. The city received four proposals by the July 19 deadline.

The proposals were scored based on the proposed fee; the understanding of the project; the applicants’ experience with similar projects; the qualifications and experience of personnel on the team; and the public outreach plan. RHAA Landscape Architects and Planners had the highest score, 91.45 out of 100.

“Our vision for Boyle Park is to identify creative opportunities to preserve and enhance existing amenities, add any new desired features, and develop a maintenance plan that addresses the aging infrastructure,” the RHAA proposal states.

The firm’s price for the work is $145,893, but the commission only has $125,000 budgeted in Measure A park funding for the project. The staff report states the difference could come from the city’s general fund during mid-term budgeting in fiscal year 2025-26.

The staff report also states there is some opportunity to reduce costs in the community engagement and commission presentations sections of the project.

“We all care about Boyle Park,” Kearney said. “It’s such a gem so we really want to get this right. I do think RHAA really stood out.”

Kearney said the firm’s values were well aligned with the city’s and its overall experience is “tremendous.” Commissioner Naomi Gray said she felt the firm’s proposal was the strongest of the four.

Staff hope to have the master plan finished in one year.