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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNS Contract - RB Engineering Inc repair the Blackwood House New Hope ParkORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS • ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 5, 2007 Action Agenda Item No. q- -- q SUBJECT: Contract with RB Engineering, Inc. for Structural Engineering Services to Repair the Herbert Blackwood House (future New Hope Park at Blackwood Farm) DEPARTMENT: Purchasing, ERCD PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Cost Proposal Photos INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Jones, 245-2650 David Stancil, 245-2590 Tina Moon, 210-2595 PURPOSE: To consider authorizing the Chair to execute a contract with RB Engineering, Inc. . to conduct engineering work, prepare construction drawings and specifications, and to perform inspection services to repair the foundation and first floor (sills and first floor joists) of the Herbert Blackwood House. BACKGROUND: As part of the preparation of estimates for the stabilization and long-term renovation of the buildings at County-owned park properties, ERCD s#aff asked RB Engineering, Inc., in February of 2007, to evaluate the Herbert Blackwood House. The focus of this evaluation was two-fold: 1) to identify and address immediate structural issues, and 2) to begin to consider requirements and associated costs for the house for potential new uses. Many of these structures have historical significance, which is a particular expertise of RB. Engineering, Inc. The firm has inspected over 1200 structures over the last six years and has prepared similar types of structural repairs for foundations and framing on more than 200 projects. In addition, the firm has experience working with government-sponsored projects including the Orange County Land Trust. For these reasons, the Board is requested to exempt this project from the normal selection process for architectural/engineering services as provided in GS 143-64.32. The county purchased this property in late 2001 for use as aloes-impact park with an historic, agricultural and environmental theme. The property contains an historic farmstead, located near the center of the site, including an older house and nine outbuildings in various states of repair. With Board authorization, staff arranged to have six of the most significant smaller outbuildings stabilized in 2005, and is making arrangements for similar work to occur on the large barn. This work was conducted using funds identified and appropriated from the adopted Capital. Investment Plan (CIP). The farmhouse has also begun to show some serious structural issues. The first floor joists and sills have significant areas of deterioration and are in need of immediate attention. The purpose of this item is to authorize RB Engineering to conduct engineering services to make the first floor level and to address existing structural failures. These repairs will be necessary for the future of the house, regardless of the type of use. 2. Assuming a November 5, 2007 approval date, the contract work would begin during the winter. • Once the construction documents are prepared, staff will solicit proposals from contractors interested in completing the work. A recommendation will be presented for the Board's consideration following staff review and evaluation of the submittals. Bids to replace roof shingles on the Blackwood House will be solicited in the spring of 2008. Additional repairs to the house and outbuildings as well as regular maintenance needs have been identified, with cost estimates, and will be included in the 2008-2018 CIP. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The price of the services to be conducted for the Blackwood House is $7,750. A cost proposal outlining more specifically the services to be provided is attached to this abstract. (A maximum of $8,750 includes up to $1,000 for additional services should the need be determined as the project progresses). Emergency building .stabilization funds were appropriated to the Cate and Blackwood farms in 2003 and in FY 2004-2005, including $132,500 for the Blackwood Farm. To date, $26,912 has been used from this amount. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board authorize a contract with RB Engineering, Inc. as cited herein and exempt this project from the qualifications based selection process for architects and engineers as provided in G.S. 143-64.32; and authorize the Manager to sign on behalf of the Board, subject to final review by staff and County Attorney. • • RB ENGINEERING, INC. - ENGINEERING PROPOSAL O 168 QUADE DRIVE, CARP, NORTH CAROLINA 27513 TELEPHONE: (919) 677-9662 - FAX: (919) 677-9663 E-MAIL: RBITTLERCcDRBENGINEERING.COM WEBSITE: WWW.RBENGINEERING.COM . Orange County -Environmental & Resource Conservation October 19, 2007 306-A Revere Road./ PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 Attn: Ms. Christina Moon Re: Proposal for Engineering Services Foundation/Floor Repairs -Existing residential structure -Blackwood House @ 4215 New NC 86 in Orange County, North Carolina Dear Ms. Moon, RB Engineering, Inc. is pleased to submit this proposal for professional engineering services in response to your verbal Request for Proposal (RFP). As you are aware, we performed an initial site visit of the subject building in February 2007 and provided you with an engineering letter dated March 28, 2007. I revisited the site on September 20, 2007 to assist with the preparation of this proposal and to re-inspect. the subject building. I appreciate this opportunity to work with you and hope you fmd our proposal acceptable. Understanding of the Scope of Work It is RB Engineering, Inc.'s understanding that the engineering services to be included in this assignment will generally include: • Attend a site meeting with the owner representatives to review project objectives and to solicit input and expectations. • Perform site inspections, as necessary, to document the existing physical condition and identify existing structural issues. • Complete an initial (base) survey of the floor system (using a rotary laser level) to identify the extent of the vertical floor misalignments and problem areas. • Evaluate existing structural issues and determine appropriate structural repairs. • Prepare a proposed foundation/floor structural repair plan and project specifications. • Provide five hardcopy sets and one electronic copy of the project construction documents to owner and attend apre-bid meeting with contractors and owner. • On an as needed basis, perform limited construction inspections to address any construction related structural issues. • Perform a final inspection and floor survey to ensure that the proposed repairs were performed in accordance with the contract documents and that the structural repairs are functioning as intended. • The following items are specifically excluded from our anticipated scope of work and this engineering proposal: material testing; roofmg; electrical, mechanical, full construction inspection services, project management, bidding process. RB ENGINEERING, INC. - ENGINEERING PROPOSAL ~ ® . Page 2 October 19, 2007 The primary purpose of our involvement will be to determine structurally appropriate foundation/floor repairs to address the existing structural issues and to prepare repair plans • and.project specifications. During the construction phase of the project, we will assist on a limited and as-needed basis to ensure that work is being performed in a structurally acceptable manner. Qualifications RB Engineering, Inc. is a structural engineering firm based in Cary, North Carolina and included with this proposal you will find my resume and a structural project list. In addition to being completely qualified to perform this assignment from a structural engineering, perspective, our company also provides you with the following additional project benefits: • Since I will be acting as the project manager, a Professional Engineer will be actively involved with every aspect of the repair project. • RB Engineering, Inc. has extensive experience with foundation and floor repairs, including repair methods and procedures. • RB Engineering, Inc. has excellent working relationships with several local foundation repair contractors. • RB Engineering, Inc. has a working knowledge of local site conditions. • RB Engineering, Inc. intends to create detailed construction documents while minimizing the plan preparation time and project management time to control design costs. Labor & Ezpenses . Our lump sum fee for consulting structural engineering to prepare a foundation repair plan and project specifications in accordance with this proposal is $7,750. Also, this proposal includes a contingency amount of up to $1.000 for any additional engineering services determined to be necessary as the project progresses for a maximum proposal amount of $8,750. The additional services would be billed at a $125 hourly rate. This proposal includes the following list of tasks that will be performed by RB Engineering, Inc. in order to meet the objectives of the assignment: • Initial site (scoping) meeting with owner representatives • Structural inspections • Structural evaluation and repair design • .Preparation of foundation and floor repair plans and project specifications • Provide construction documents to owner and attend apre-bid meeting • Limited construction inspections to address any structural issues • Final inspection Invoicing of engineering labor and expenses for engineering reviews on this assignment will occur on the following basis: 25% due at the start of the project 65% due by the pre-bid meeting • 10% due at the completion of the project • RB ENGINEERING, INC. Page 3 Schedule ENGINEERING PROPOSAL October 19, 2007 The anticipated time required4in preparing the foundation/floor repair plans is approximately six to eight weeks from the time in which we receive formal authorization (NTP) from you to proceed. Results As stated previously in this proposal, the primary purpose of our involvement will be to determine structurally appropriate foundation/floor repairs to address existing structural issues. This proposal has been written as adesign/bid project with RB Engineering, Inc. primarily handling the inspection/design aspect of the project and the building owner primarily handling the bid/construction aspect of the project. At the completion of our design work, we will provide you with an engineered set of construction documents, which qualified repair contractors may competitively bid upon. Thank you again for the opportunity to submit this proposal. We look forward to working with you on this assignment. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this proposal, please feel free to contact me at any time. Respectfully .submitted, Ron Bittler, PE RB Engineering, Inc. Owner/President r~ 0 Herbert Blackwood Farm -House Structural Framework visible from Cellar • • • . O Herbert Blackwood Farm -House Structural Framework visible from Cellar • • •