Preservation Maryland is seeking Proposals from a consulting firm with demonstrated expertise in the preparation of historic preservation and planning reports as applied to land protection, historic preservation and battlefield sites.
Update: Out of many interested respondents to Preservation Maryland’s RFP, Kennon Williams Landscape Studio was selected as the lead consultant to be supported in the project by two sub-consultants: the Washington College Center for Environment and Society and Barton Ross & Partners, LLC Architects.
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REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS P20AP00201
Documenting and Exploring the Interpretive Potential of St. George Island: Maryland’s Largest Revolutionary War Battlefield
1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Preservation Maryland is seeking Proposals from a consulting firm with demonstrated expertise in the preparation of historic preservation and planning reports as applied to land protection, historic preservation and battlefield sites.
Historic Background
On July 17, 1776, St. George Island, Maryland (St. Mary’s County) was the site of arguably the largest clash in Maryland during the Revolutionary War. British forces under the command of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore had recently escaped by ship from Williamsburg, Virginia and attempted to land on the mainland of Maryland.
Maryland’s Flying Camp militia under the command of Captain Rezin Beall, who was wounded in action in this battle, repulsed the invading British which prevented the invasion of the mainland.
To date, very little professional study has been dedicated to this battle. The exact site has not been located and extant documentation, context and mapping has not been compiled. This planning grant would mark the first step towards documentation, engaging and building consensus with the public and perhaps eventually interpreting this little known but important site.
Historic marker on St. George’s Island Maryland. Image from Maryland Historical Trust.
Project Need & Opportunity
St. George Island is located in southern St. Mary’s County on the Potomac River which separates Maryland and Virginia. The island, which may have been disconnected from the mainland in the 1700s, has been linked via a two-lane road over a narrow causeway. The island’s low elevation and susceptibility to flooding makes the construction of permanent buildings problematic. While the island is inhabited year-round, much of the development has been limited to relatively large lots which avoid natural wetlands and a tidal estuary which bisects the island. Waterfront property on the south and west of the island face the Potomac River, and on the north and east face the St. Mary’s River. The waterfront property that can accommodate the deepest draft vessels is located along the Potomac River side of the island.
These physical features suggest that the British fleet that escaped Williamsburg would most likely have landed near the southwest point of the island and the battle could have taken place along the western (Potomac River) side of the island. These physical features make the potential for recovering archeological artifacts a distinct possibility. The advent of sea-level rise makes the documentation urgent.
Details of the project are shown in the scope of work. The project will be developed and deliverables produced during the period of September 2020 through September 2021.
2.0 SERVICES AND SCOPE OF WORK
The contractor, who must document their ability to meet the Secretary of the Interior Professional Qualification Standards (36 CFR Part 61), shall provide the following services:
- Research, identify, inventory, and map cultural and natural resources associated with the 1776 Battle of St. George’s Island. The field inventory shall include property boundaries, land uses, zoning information, hydrographic data, battlefield troop movements, past archeological research data, structures, roads, railroad rights-of-way, and 3D topographic representation (including sections) of the area and available LiDAR. This data shall be expressed in GIS and paper formats. All GIS data files shall be in a shapefile (*.shp) or GeoDatabase format, preferably a GeoDatabase format. Federal Geographic Data Committee compliant data set level metadata shall be submitted for each shapefile or feature class included. All cultural resources delineated with GIS data (points, lines or polygons) should further be submitted in compliance with the NPS Cultural Resource Spatial Data Transfer Standards with complete feature level metadata. Template GeoDatabases and guidelines for creating and submitting GIS data in the NPS cultural resource spatial data transfer standards can be found at the NPS Cultural Resource GIS Facility
- Deliver to Preservation Maryland upon the beginning of the project a detailed work plan. This plan shall include all tasks planned to accomplish the scope of the grant, projected timelines, and an outline of the proposed final report.
- The final report should be a plan that outlines the vision of future potential preservation and interpretive efforts at St. George Island. The report shall examine current planning endeavors executed by various agencies and organizations, and shall make recommendations for interpretive opportunity, site access, and potential archaeological investigation. The report should have alternatives, tasks, costs and steps broken down for implementation within a reasonable period of time. The report will also include a historic context of the battlefield and its significance.
- Coordinate a public planning process which shall include two public meetings (in-person or virtually, depending on the ability to travel and convene). The first meeting will assist in determining the local property owners’ vision for the St. George Island Battlefield. The second meeting shall be near the completion of the project to allow community review of the research and draft document. The ABPP/Preservation Maryland must approve of any proposed alternatives prior to the final meeting. Meetings will be advertised in advance in local & social
- Coordinate two additional key stakeholder meetings (kickoff and conclusion) and a field visit of existing resources to inform discussion and
- Work with specific agencies as appropriate to ensure that the work performed meets requirements.
- Following approval of the final report document, the consultant shall provide Preservation Maryland with a final PDF copy of the plan and one CD copy for the All materials and rights belong to Preservation Maryland and the ABPP.
3.0 PROPOSAL FORMAT
All submitted proposals shall be complete and prepared in a straightforward and concise manner, including:
- A letter of interest and explanation of consultant capabilities in successfully preparing the work detailed in 2.0 SERVICES and SCOPE OF
- Resume of primary researcher(s) and their demonstrated expertise in battlefield preservation and planning history or other equally qualifying
- A list of similar projects and qualifying
- Work plan outline and proposed
- A proposed budget and detailed cost of
4.0 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS SUBMISSION DATE
- Proposals submitted against this Request for Proposals must be received by 11:59 PM E.S.T., on August 10, 2020. Proposals that arrive after this date and time will not be considered. Notification of final selection and award of the project will occur by email on or about September 10, 2020.
- Proposals for this RFP MUST be submitted as a PDF electronically to: submit@presmd.org
- Any questions regarding this RFP are to be directed to (please NO calls): submit@presmd.org