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Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan, Including Municipal Vulnerability Program

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Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan, Including Municipal Vulnerability Program Proposal for Professional Services Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan, including Municipal Vulnerability Program Submitted to: City of Northampton – Office of Planning and Sustainability January 26, 2018 GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. 249 Vanderbilt Avenue │ Norwood, MA 02062 781.278.3700 27 Offices Nationwide www.gza.com January 26, 2018 01.P000736.18 Submitted Via E-mail Wayne Feiden, FAICP Department of Planning & Sustainability City Hall 210 Main Street Northampton, MA 01060 Re: Proposal for Engineering and Planning Services for: Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan Northampton, MA Dear Mr. Feiden: GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.(GZA) is pleased to present this proposal in support of the “Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan Including Municipal Vulnerability Program.” GZA is passionate about creating resilient and sustainable communities by reducing the various impacts of climate change and we sincerely hope to work with you on this project. We believe that we will bring to this project “state-of-the- practice” climate adaptation, climate mitigation and hazard risk management expertise and experience. The following highlights several distinguishing capabilities and experience. PROJECT TEAM GZA will be the prime consultant for the project. GZA is a 625-person engineering, applied science, and planning firm. GZA is a leader in the areas of resiliency, climate adaptation and sustainability planning including natural hazard and climate mitigation, climate adaptation planning, flood hazard assessment, vulnerability assessment, resiliency funding, and community resilience outreach. We are currently assisting several communities in developing resiliency and mitigation solutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in making their critical facilities, public infrastructure, natural resources, and vulnerable populations more sustainable long into the future. In addition to GZA personnel, our team includes a certified planner Valerie Ferro from Good Earth Associates. Valerie is a certified planner with over 30 years of experience in municipal planning, community outreach, revitalization planning, and economic development. Valerie has launched over 200 community outreach programs with an emphasis in developing regenerative and restorative strategies for socially and economically distressed areas throughout New England. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE GZA, a Massachusetts based company, has built an extensive knowledge of Northampton through the projects we have worked on over the last decade. Since 2006 GZA has been working continuously on the City’s dams, and on the City’s flood control system on behalf of the US Army Corps of Engineers since 2011. GZA also is working on two flood mitigation Copyright ©2018 GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/V/H January 26, 2018 01.P000736.18 City of Northampton Page | 2 active by Designprojects for the City designed to reduce the impacts from future flooding. Our team’s local knowledge will enable GZA to hit the ground running at the onset of the project. DISTINCTIVE CAPABILITIES AND EXPERIENCE Highlights of our relevant experience and expertise include: CLIMATE CHANGE MANAGEMENT: GZA has provided climate change management services to assist our clients with development of practical strategies to address greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. PLANNING: GZA’s team brings expertise in resiliency and planning, focused on the socio-economic and natural resource impacts associated with climate change. GZA has also been responsible for resiliency planning for natural and nature-based features (NNBF), critical infrastructure, transportation systems, and community assets for several inland and coastal communities. MUNICIPAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: GZA has completed numerous vulnerability and risk assessment studies along the eastern coastline of the United States and has an effective and established framework in completing these studies. Our team includes a certified Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (MVP) provider to lead the MVP process. GEOSPATIAL DATA MANAGEMENT. GZA uses GIS tools that are web-based and made client-accessible on a project basis. The geodatabase utilizes 100’s of relevant publicly-available data layers (e.g., FEMA, NOAA, etc.) as well as proprietary and project-specific GIS layers presenting the results of GZA’s numerical hydrodynamic modeling. Upon project completion, key GIS layers are provided for integration into the client’s GIS. RESILIENCY AND MITIGATION FUNDING. GZA has been instrumental in assisting communities including the City of Northampton apply for and receive $millions of dollars in federal and state grant funding in the implementation of flood mitigation and resiliency projects. GZA is currently assisting the City of Northampton in completing two recently funded FEMA hazard mitigation grant funded flood mitigation projects. We believe that GZA brings the prerequisite skills, expertise, and experience required for this project. In particular, we bring a level of technical depth not often available for planning studies. This combination will enable us to assist Northampton in being at the forefront of climate resiliency and regeneration planning and in positioning the City for future funding opportunities. We look forward to the opportunity to meet and present our team, capabilities and demonstrated experience in person. Thank you for your consideration of us for this project. Very truly yours, GZA GEOENVIRONMENTAL, INC. Samuel J. Bell Senior Project Manager Daniel C. Stapleton, P.E. Matthew Taylor, P.E. Senior Principal Consultant Reviewer Attachments: Proposal TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter of Transmittal Table of Contents TECHNICAL PROPOSAL/QUALS Section 1. PROJECT UNDERSTANDING Section 2. FEE PROPOSAL Section 3. SCOPE OF SERVICES Section 4. PROJECT SCHEDULE Section 5. QUALIFICATIONS Relevant Experience Project Team Appendix A. Company Qualifications Appendix B. Relevant Project Descriptions Appendix C. Organizational Chart and Resumes Technical Response for Page | 1 Sustainable Northampton Framewor k and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan City of Northampton, MA Section 1 – Project Understanding Technical Response for Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan City of Northampton, MA 1.0 Project Understanding Our team’s understanding of the project is based on the City of Northampton’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for Consulting Services for the Development of a Sustainable Northampton Framework and Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan and answers provided by the City to questions from GZA and other firms. We understand that the project includes four interrelated components that include: 1. Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program for Northampton. 2. Technical writing and graphics to reorganize the existing Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan using the STAR Communities framework. 3. Creation of a Northampton Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan as a new chapter in Sustainable Northampton. 4. Infographics and on-line dashboard or other graphic representations of the above documents to engage the community. The City will host information provided GZA relevant to advancing the project and the City will setup project webpages and maintain their website. It is clear from the RFP that Northampton’s Planning and Sustainability department through their Director of Planning and Sustainability and two support staff has made considerable efforts in addressing sustainability, climate resiliency, adaptation, and vulnerabilities, and climate regeneration over the years resulting in various plans including but not limited to the City’s 2015 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, 2014 Resiliency Strategy Analysis and 2012 Stormwater and Flood Control System Assessment and Utility Plan. Additional City departments and staff expected to be engaged in this project as stakeholders include: 1. Department of Public Works, which includes stormwater (three people); 2. Mayor's office (one person with Mayor David J. Narkewicz) 3. Emergency Services (one or two people); 4. Health Department (one person); 5. Central Services, which includes energy (two people). Our team has extensive experience assisting communities and private entities in the Commonwealth and in other states in developing clear and effective frameworks and plans that address each of the four (4) interdependent areas outlined above. Below is a more detailed overview of the GZA Team’s understanding of each of the 4 areas outlined above MVP Program Executive Order (E.O.) 569 directed the state government to provide assistance to communities to conduct climate change vulnerability assessments and resiliency planning. As a result, the Massachusetts (MA) Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) established the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant Program (MVP Program) to provide financial assistance to towns and cities throughout the Commonwealth to complete a comprehensive, baseline climate change vulnerability assessment and develop prioritized actions for dealing with climate-related and natural hazards using the field-tested approach called the Community Resilience Building (CRB) workshop guide. The GZA Team will use the CRB workshop guide framework that includes a six-step approach to completing a vulnerability assessment and developing prioritized actions for addressing climate-related hazards
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