Town of Drexel, NC - Brownfield Redevelopment Request for Qualifications
I. Introduction
The Town of Drexel invites interested parties to submit statements of qualifications and experience to provide environmental and engineering consulting services for redevelopment of a planned industrial park at the 89+ acre Drexel Heritage Plant #1 site located at 101 North Main Street in Drexel, NC.
The Town of Drexel was recently awarded a $500,000 EPA Brownfield grant—to be combined with local funds, a $500,000 CDBG grant, and $370,000 grant funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation—for the remaining demolition and associated clean up of this site. The clean-up project will include the clearance of an estimated 17,343 cubic yards of asbestos-comingled (ACM) demolition rubble, removal of standing office building and dust collection structure, and CAP design for on-site waste burial. Ongoing coordination with NC DEQ staff has indicated that an estimated 13,000 CY of ACM waste can be consolidated and capped in on-site basement locations, while the remaining 4000 CY of (ACM) debris must be hauled off-site for disposal.
The town-owned property, once home to Drexel Heritage Furniture’s Plant #1 site, was left in a state of blight by its former owners. Upon completion of the clean-up project, along with the planned improvements to industrial-grade utilities (approximately $1M scope, fully funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission, NC Commerce, and Golden LEAF Foundation), the site will be enrolled in the NC Brownfield Program and marketed for new industrial development.
We envision the blighted property becoming a thriving industrial park in the full-service Town of Drexel, providing job opportunities to residents, improving the local tax base, and becoming the Town’s largest utility customer(s). The rail-adjacent site can accommodate up to three separate users with access to industrial-grade utilities and potential rail spurs. Existing partners for this redevelopment project include Burke County; Burke Development (EDC), ElectriCities, Appalachian Regional Commission, NC Department of Commerce, Golden LEAF Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
II. Scope of Work
The consultant will be expected to perform the following tasks on an as-needed basis:
Grant administration: Consultant should provide timely updates to the project team for reporting through online grants management system. As needed, consultant must be available for periodic meetings with EPA grant representative.
Site Characterization and Assessment Activities: As part of the work, the consultant may be asked to conduct Phase II Environmental Assessment activities, as needed, as well as preparation of cleanup plans. Included in this task is development of the following plans:
Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs),
Site-specific Sampling and Analysis Plans (SAPs),
Health and Safety Plans (HASPs), and
Site investigation reports. Documents are required to follow applicable state and industry standards including ASTM and All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) standards for property transactional work.
Community Involvement Assistance: The consultant may be asked to support Drexel in public involvement and community outreach activities to ensure that the community concerns are considered and addressed in the assessment planning and execution process of the projects. Drexel will lead community engagement and will ask for support and technical assistance in these endeavors.
Cleanup and Development Planning. The consultant will be asked to complete site-specific cleanup and redevelopment planning documents, including Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCAs), site remediated Work Plans, conceptual redevelopment site plans, etc. In addition, Consultant may be asked to participate in community information sessions to provide community updates regarding the project. The consultant may also assist in the negotiation of voluntary cleanup with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), the North Carolina Brownfields Program (NCBP), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Cleanup and Remediation Activities: The consultant may be asked to complete cleanup and remediation in accordance with the NCDEQ Solid Waste regulations, other agency requirements, and/or United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements. Activities may include the preparation of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) and Health and Safety Plan (HASP), securing all approvals and permits, completing confirmation sampling activities, developing bid documentation, coordinating and overseeing site remediation activities, and/or completing the site remediation activities.
Other Brownfield-Related Duties: Other duties that may be required for a successful program but that have not been anticipated in this call for services.
III. Response Format / Evaluation Criteria
The submittal shall be no longer than 20 pages and shall include the information outlined below. To ensure fair and equitable evaluation, proposals must be organized into the following separate sections with clearly marked headers. Proposals are due via email by August 18, 2021.
1.0 Experience and Capacity
The response shall include a summary of the following:
History of the firm’s experience providing Brownfield services as described herein.
Brownfields grant administration experience/capacity
Ability to work with a broad group of stakeholders and to coordinate with other planned improvements, including industrial utility upgrades, railroad coordination, and road access planning.
Description of the firm’s organization structure and the names and experience of key individuals including professional registrations, site investigation, and experience working with EPA and NC DEQ.
Experience working with multiple federal grant funding sources, including compliance with Section 3 and Davis-Bacon regulations.
Disclosure of any potential conflicts of interest.
2.0 References
The response shall include at least three (3) references for similar services that have been provided by your firm and the dates of service. Please include the reference name, company, and phone number. Also include a description of the services and key personnel that were involved in the project.
3.0 Proposed Methodology
The response shall include an organization chart in addition to a description of how the firm will complete the scope of work described herein. Include a description of the relevant services provide by your firm. Finally, include a concise statement of why your firm should be selected by the Town of Drexel.
4.0 Selection Criteria
The responding firms will be evaluated on the following criteria:
Experience and ability to complete the work in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines.
Demonstrated Brownfields experience including successful grant administration, along with a demonstrated ability to work with NC DEQ, EPA, and other federal funds, including CDBG
Approach and understanding of the scope of work / familiarity with the project
Proven track record of community engagement.
Ability to work with a broad group of stakeholders
Environmental assessment experience.
Quality of performance on similar projects.
Participation of small, minority, and veteran-owned businesses encouraged.
Please send proposals and any questions to sbradshaw@townofdrexel.net.
Proposals are due via email by August 16, 2021.
The Town of Drexel is an equal opportunity employer.
The information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Sherri Bradshaw or 828-437-7421 or at 202 Church Street, Drexel for accommodations for this request.
Esta informacion esta disponible en espanol o en cualquier otro idioma bajo peticion. Por favor, pongase en contacto con Sherri Bradshaw al 828-437-7421 o en 202 Church Street, Drexel de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
