SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve Supplemental 1 Work Order to Cardno, Inc., of Clearwater, FL., to complete Expanded Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey at the St. Matthew’s Baptist Church Cemetery, in the amount of $48,223, increasing the work order from $87,888 to $136,111 pursuant to Request for Qualifications (RFQ) 26-19, Engineer of Record Consulting Services (EOR), and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same.
Body
SUMMARY:
The St. Matthew’s Baptist Church Cemetery, an African American cemetery dating to the early 1900s, was once located along Missouri Avenue, near Cleveland Street. The cemetery operated at the property until the 1940s.
According to records from the time, the City of Clearwater established a new African American burial site at the North Greenwood Cemetery and all burials ceased at the property.
The property was sold in 1955 by St. Matthew’s Church to developers. The site was developed in the 1960s. Construction at the site has included a department store and the City Annex. The site was later developed to its current state by Crum Properties II LLC.
With the recent rediscovery of lost African American cemeteries throughout the region, local community leaders called for confirmation that the burials were properly relocated prior to redevelopment.
Community groups and Crum staffing partnered to hire archeologists from the University of South Florida (USF) to review available historical records and complete GPR surveys of the site.
The historical records review and GPR surveys identified areas of the former cemetery that showed potential active burials.
Crum staffing contacted the City to discuss the findings. City Engineering staff asked Cardno to prepare a work plan and complete an archaeological excavation and ground truthing of the former cemetery.
The archaeological excavation confirmed the presence of active burials on the property.
As part of the recommendations from the archeological excavation and ground truthing report, Cardno proposed completing an expanded GPR survey of the property to determine the cemetery boundaries.
City Council approved the initial expenditure for this project of $87,888 for the archeological excavation and ground truthing on February 4, 2021.
The GPR survey will take approximately two weeks to complete. A final draft report will be submitted to the City 60 days after completion of the fieldwork.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
0107010-530100 $$48,223.00
Funds are available in cost code 0107010, 530100, Professional Services to fund this work order.