SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve a professional services agreement and work order with Rowe Architects, LLC of Tampa, Florida to conduct a building conditions assessment for the North Ward School in the amount of $213,785.00 pursuant to Request for Qualifications (RFQ) No. 57-23, Specialized Historic Architectural Preservation Consulting Service, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
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SUMMARY:
On September 6, 2023, the City issued RFQ #57-23 soliciting qualifications from architectural firms specializing in historic preservation, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse to prepare a building condition assessment, along with recommendations for improvements and cost estimates for the city-owned historic North Ward School. The goal of the project is to identify improvements that could make the building more occupiable, including the construction of a new connection between the original building and the 1926 addition.
Three firms responded to the RFQ and the City interviewed two: Rowe Architects and DN’A Design & Architecture in collaboration with Walker Consultants Inc. The third firm, Fleischman Garcia Masloski was scheduled to be interviewed but withdrew before the presentation. Based on the materials submitted and information discussed in the interviews, the selection committee comprised of staff from Planning and Development, Economic Development and Housing, Engineering and General Services, selected Rowe Architects, LLC. Rowe Architects has worked on over 100 historic preservation projects, including 20 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. They also have experience working on historic schools and obtaining preservation grant funding for various types of preservation projects.
The scope of services as outlined in the Work Order involves the following five major tasks and should be completed within six months of the start date.
• historic building research and identification of potential grants to fund improvements
• building documentation which includes the creation of a digital 3D model of the building
• existing conditions assessment
• recommendations for pre-developer improvements and use analysis
• development of cost estimates for identified improvements
Based on the recommendations of the assessment, the RFQ indicated the City may move forward with a portion of or all of the recommended improvements, including design, permitting, and construction administration services including coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) to ensure any proposed improvements do not negatively impact a future development partner’s ability to obtain federal tax credits. Such phase would require another agreement and work order to be reviewed and approved by City Council.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
A first quarter budget amendment will provide a transfer of $213,785 from General Fund reserves to capital improvement project 315-C2101, North Ward Preservation, to fund this work order.
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
Funding for this contract will be provided by a first quarter budget amendment allocating General Fund reserves in the amount of $213,785 to capital improvement project C2101, North Ward Preservation. Inclusive of this item if approved, a net total of $2,957,880 of General Fund reserves has been used to date to fund expenditures in the 2023/24 operating budget. The remaining balance in General Fund reserves after the 8.5% reserve is approximately $40.6 million, or 20.4% of the current General Fund operating budget.
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
The preparation of a building condition assessment of the historic North Ward School aligns with Strategic Plan Objective 1.2.
