Fort Williams Park Master Plan Update 2021
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Fort Williams Park Master Plan Update 2021 Submitted by: To: Richardson & Associates, The Town of Cape Elizabeth Landscape Architects Attn: Kathleen Raftice 11 Middle Street Cape Elizabeth Town Hall Saco, Maine 04072 P.O Box 6260 Todd Richardson, Principal 320 Ocean House Road [email protected] Cape Elizabeth, Maine 04107 (207) 590-2423 [email protected] Mary 21, 2020 PROVIDING A SAFE, HIGH QUALITY SPACE FOR CAPE ELIZABETH CITIZENS AND VISITORS TO ENJOY. WE WILL PROTECT AND MAINTAIN ACCESS TO THE PARK’S HISTORIC ELEMENTS AND NATURAL BEAUTY FOR THIS AND FUTURE GENERATIONS AND OPTIMIZE THE TOWN’S STEWARDSHIP BY MANAGING THE PARK THROUGH FINANCIALLY AND ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES. Fort Williams Park Master Plan Update 2021 Project Team CORE TEAM Richardson & Associates, Gorrill Palmer Landscape Architects William C. Haskell, Principal Todd Richardson, FASLA, Principal Owen CHaplin, P.E., Project Engineer Ken Studtmann, Project Manager Randy Dunton, P.E, Project Manager Tasuku Kamei, Project Assistant 707 Sable Oaks Drive, Suite 30 | South 11 Middle Street Portland, ME 04106 Saco , Maine 04072 (207)772-2515 x235 [email protected] [email protected] (207) 590-2423 Scott Simons Architects Kayla Caron, AIA, Principal Austin Smith, Principal, LEED AP 75 York Street Portland, Maine 04101 (207)772-4656 [email protected] OPTIONAL SUB-CONSULTANT Structural Integrity Consulting Engineers, Inc. Aaron C. Jones, P.E. 46 Forest Ave Portland, ME 04101 (207) 774-4614 [email protected] No person acting for or employed by the Town of Cape Elizabeth is directly or indirectly related to the pro- poser or to any agreement which may be entered into to which the Proposal relates or in any portion of the profits here from. A. COVER LETTER May 21, 2020 To Whom it May Concern: Richardson & Associates, Landscape Architects, is pleased to submit our qualifications in response to The Fort Williams Park 2021 Master Plan Update Request for Proposals. To meet this requested scope of work we will be teaming with Gorrill Palmer Engineers and Scott Simons Architects, with the possible inclusion of Structural Integrity Consulting Engineers. Our team would be honored to have the opportunity to work with the Town of Cape Elizabeth and The Fort Williams Park Committee, as well as the general public and myriad park users to update the Master Plan to guide the future direction of this extraordinary place. As we hope the enclosed showcases, we have the depth of experience, the credentials, and the collaborative spirit to be a partner with the Town of Cape Elizabeth on this significant project Together we bring many years of experience in creating beautiful and technically sound designs for places of this scale and scope. We are well-versed in master planning and implementation of park and recreational spaces and buildings. We also have a long history of working with municipalities and their communities in Southern Maine, being deeply rooted in these places ourselves. We are excited and inspired by this type of work, understanding that its reach can be broad. The team we have assembled has the knowledge, experience, and ability to meet the needs of this project with excellence. Our team includes the following firms: Richardson & Associates, the team lead, is an award-winning landscape architecture firm located in Saco, Maine, offering a wide range of planning, design, and construction administration services throughout New England since 1991. The firm’s completed work includes a multifaceted balance of private, non-profit, and public projects. R & A’s project history includes a rich and diverse combination of projects throughout New England, with public sector experience that includes municipal parks, civic open spaces, and recreational development. Richardson & Associates maintains a small core of six professionals dedicated to high quality design and planning. Gorrill Palmer is an integrated planning, design, and engineering firm that focuses on transportation, planning, municipal, and land development consulting services. Gorrill Palmer has been providing quality professional service to clients throughout New England since 1998. The committed staff is well respected for their attention to detail and ability to consistently deliver high quality, innovative, and cost-effective work. Along with the team, they believe that a project’s success is built on a thorough understanding of clients’ needs as well as a collaborative, integrated approach to design and public process. The focus of Scott Simons Architects will be exploring a potential visitor center at Fort Williams Park. SSA will work closely with the team, park committee, town administration, stakeholders, and community to ensure the best approach to design for an improved visitor experience at Fort Williams reflects the values of the Cape Elizabeth community. Through dialogue and thoughtful listening, Scott Simons Architects creates compelling places to live, learn, work, and play and is committed to design excellence that is grounded in sustainability and elevates human potential. We have included an optional addition to the core team with the structural engineering firm, Structural Integrity. They are a full service structural engineering firm in Portland, Maine providing services for new construction, restoration, and renovation projects. They are committed to providing clients with a practical yet creative approach to structural design. SI draws on a depth of hands on experience in construction, project management, and consulting engineering to produce the most cost effective and constructible design solutions possible. Good design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. A good design outcome is the result of a good process, one that is innovative, inclusive, and collaborative. This proposal will showcase that this team can do this and more. Collectively this team brings to this project: • A history of service and knowledge for municipalities in southern Maine. • Extensive experience of projects of similar scale and scope. • Excellence in both design and technical skills . • Public process experience with both technically and politically complex projects. • Principal involvement and an integrated team approach. • A successful history of collaboration and innovation. • Exceptional communication and graphic skills. Understanding that the Town of Cape Elizabeth has a limited budget for this project, our proposal presents two options for both fee and services for how the needs of this project can be met. We look forward to the possibility of meeting with you to further review these enclosed materials and answer any questions you or others may have. Do not hesitate to call if you have any additional needs. As a team, we are all driven by an interest in creating places that enrich and provide meaning to the lives of those who use them. We thank you for considering us in the opportunity to do this for the community of Cape Elizabeth. Sincerely, Todd Richardson, FASLA, Principal B.PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND SCOPE OF SERVICES THE FUTURE OF FORT WILLIAMS PARK: FROM “OVER-LOVED TO BELOVED” Fort Williams Park is a special and meaningful place. The park has it all - beautiful open space, trails, views, history, a quintessential rocky Maine coastline, and the iconic Portland Head Light, to name just a few of its many attributes. Loved and enjoyed by many, here people come together and enjoy nature with each other or exercise and contemplate views in solitude. Runners, hikers, and dog walkers share roads and trails with cyclists, strollers, and amblers. Cars and tour buses bring out-of-town visitors in droves, while Cape Elizabeth residents arrive via bicycles and sidewalks. Kites are flown, picnic lunches eaten, weddings and events unfold on the lawns, and old forts are explored. In short, Fort Williams Park is doing many jobs for many people. However, the 90 acres that this park encompasses were never designed for all of the jobs it currently assumes. Its origins as an army Fort and the rich history that comes with it make this park truly extraordinary, but also has limited its ability to operate in a fully efficient and cohesive manner. Pair this with increased use over the years and tension is created between the physical capa- bilities, the programming wants and needs, and the many users. As a result, Fort Williams Park feels “over-loved”. Our team is no stranger to complex projects of this nature, and we understand how to manage and lead this process for The Fort Williams Park Committee and The Town of Cape Elizabeth. We’ll look at things with fresh eyes and optimism, distilling the input from the community to find new and dynamic design-oriented solutions. This master plan update must be accessible - both physically and programmatically - for a range of user groups, be flexible enough to allow for change, and address resiliency for an uncertain future. Our goal for a 2021 Master Plan update is to shift the perception of this park from “over-loved” back to “beloved” for all who use it. A PROJECT IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC: COVID -19 CHALLENGES What we are experiencing right now by living through this pandemic is extraordinary and unique to us all. All on our team are concerned about the well-being of our clients, employees, consultants, communities, friends, and families during this time. We are taking precautions by working remotely and communicating via email, phone, and web platforms and practicing strict social distancing while out at job sites. As the rules and regulations ebb and flow pertaining this to issue, we’ll work with all local and federal guidelines as well as the Town and FWPC to determine the best practices throughout this process. While we are hopeful that things may return to “normal” soon, we also understand that they may never, or what was considered "normal" before may not be in the future. Our team will navigate this change. We will be nimble, adaptable, and fluid as we determine the appropriate processes for gathering input, conducting meetings, and site walks.