MARCH 13, 2020 CITY OF NORTHFIELD MILL TOWNS STATE TRAIL PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING Northfield to Waterford Township Segment March 11, 2020 David Bennett City Engineer/Director of Public Works 801 Washington Street Northfield, MN 55057 Email: [email protected] Re: Response to Northfield Mill Towns State Trail Preliminary Engineering Northfield to Waterford Township Segment Dear Mr. Bennett and Members of the Selection Committee: Toole Design Group is pleased to submit our proposal for the City of Northfield Mill Towns State Trail Preliminary Engineering Northfield to Waterford Township Segment. We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the City of Northfield, the Minnesota DNR, and the community to help develop a multi-use state recreational trail that connects people walking and bicycling to numerous destinations in Northfield. Our goal is to help the City and the MNDNR develop implementable, preliminary trail design plans that are based on feasibility, constructability, and community feedback. Toole Design is uniquely suited for this project as the nation’s leading firm in multimodal and trail planning and design. We authored both the 2012 and the forthcoming editions of the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, and are thus at the forefront of the next generation of trail planning and design. The Toole Design Team is known for producing trail designs tailored to the unique characteristics of the communities in which we work. We understand the unique challenges that exist with the Mill Towns State Trail segment through Northfield, like the crossing of Trunk Highway 19, right-of-way and grade challenges along Spring Creek Road, and potential wetland and flooding impacts along Spring Creek. We also recognize the great opportunities along the corridor, like connecting users to the numerous schools, parks and other destinations along the route. John Dempsey, PLA will serve as the Project Manager. John brings 15 years of experience that includes trail design, urban design and Complete Streets initiatives throughout the country. KC Atkins, P.E. will serve as Principal-in-Charge for the project. KC brings over a decade of experience in transportation engineering, including conceptual, preliminary, and final design of bicycle/pedestrian accommodations, trails, greenways, urban/rural roadways, and context-sensitive design solutions. We are proud to partner with Bolton and Menk, a civil engineering and surveying firm who brings extensive knowledge of local conditions, including working on several projects in Northfield in recent years, and having surveying and wetlands experience across the state. Our team includes civil engineering, 8484 GEORGIA AVENUE 301.927.1900 SUITE 800 TOOLEDESIGN.COM SILVER SPRING, MD 20910 structural engineering, planning, environmental, and community engagement staff that will provide the City of Northfield and the MNDNR with a successful project outcome that will bring the City one step closer to implementing the Mill Towns State Trail segment through the city. We appreciate the opportunity to submit this proposal and we are confident in our team’s ability to deliver the highest quality design to the City of Northfield. If you have any questions, please contact John Dempsey at [email protected] or by phone at 612.584.4094 x202. Sincerely, Roswell Eldridge Executive Vice President Toole Design ENVISIONING WHAT COULD BE, THEN BUILDING IT TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover Letter ONE: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL Project Understanding 1 Project Work Plan 4 Project Schedule 8 QA/QC Plan 9 Firm Profile 10 Organizational Chart 11 Project Personnel 11 Relevant Experience 15 TWO: APPENDIX Project Team Resumes A.1 Project Experience A.11 THREE: COST PROPOSAL (Separate Cover) PROJECT UNDERSTANDING The Northfield segment of the Mill Towns State Trail has a long history of planning. Residents Once fully implemented, the Mill Towns State and other stakeholders have been pushing for Trail (MTST) will be a significant regional the trail to be developed for decades, and at least destination, providing a valuable recreational four different trail routes through Northfield amenity to Northfield residents and visitors have been considered and analyzed. While alike. It will connect Northfield with the cities developing the City of Northfield Pedestrian, Bike, of Dundas, Faribault, Waterford, Randolph and Trail System update in 2019, Toole Design and Cannon Falls, stretching a distance of staff analyzed the final two potential trail routes approximately 25 miles. The trail will eventually through Northfield, led a community outreach link the Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail in effort to gather input from community members Faribault with the western end of the Cannon on the routes, and ultimately recommended Valley Trail in Cannon Falls. The City of the trail alignment moving forward with this Northfield, in partnership with the Minnesota project. The Northfield portion of the MTST will Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), run parallel to MN Trunk Highway 3, Jefferson is beginning to move from the planning stage Parkway, Spring Creek, Spring Creek Road, to the design stage by developing preliminary MN Trunk Highway 19, and Canada Avenue. design plans for a critical 6.1-mile segment of Community members emphasized the many the state trail through Northfield. This segment benefits of the trail route, including its adjacency will connect the existing MTST segment that to several schools, direct access to parks, scenic terminates in Riverside Park to the historic and recreational value, and the ability to serve Waterford Bridge in Waterford Township. the growing population in the southeast portion of the city. Toole Design has extensive experience in trail planning and design across the United States. MILL TOWNS STATE TRAIL PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING 1 Toole Design studied trail routes through Northfield including the Mill Towns State Trail in the Northfield Pedestrian, Bike, and Trail System Plan. Despite the numerous benefits of the trail route, These challenges, which are shown in Figure the preliminary design work will include a 1, will be addressed while still achieving the number of challenges that our team will work overall project goals. The overarching goal of through with City and MNDNR staff, including: the project is to prepare preliminary plans that Developing a safe, ADA accessible, grade- enable future construction of a high quality, safe, separated crossing of Trunk Highway 19 multimodal trail segment linking Northfield and within MnDOT right-of-way Waterford Township. The trail will be designed Accommodating the trail along Spring to be at least 10’ wide with 2' shoulders, and will Creek Road given the right-of-way and meet all state and national design standards grade challenges set forth by the Minnesota Departments of Routing the trail parallel to Spring Creek Natural Resources (MNDNR) and Transportation while minimizing wetland impacts and (MnDOT), the American Association of State staying outside of the FEMA floodway zone Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and Avoiding environmental disturbances to the the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Upper and Lower Cowling Arboretum along Spring Creek Road, Trunk Highway 19, and Canada Avenue. 2 TOOLE DESIGN Figure 1: Existing conditions and known challenges along the Mill Towns State Trail corridor. Northern terminus of trail at approach to Historic Waterford Bridge Avoid environmental disturbances to Carleton College Cowling Arboretum Location and type of grade- Existing Cannon Trail alignment along Spring separated crossing of River Bridge Creek Road to be determined Highway 19 to be determined Crossing during course of project during course of project Retaining wall on private Existing Mill Towns property located 5’ from Steep grade on W side of Trail segment, east side of road Spring Creek Road adjacent to Dundas to Northfield Northfield Golf Club Existing 10’ trail between Woodley St & Trail cannot impact historic Riverside Park archway at Calvary Cemetery entrance Crossing improvements recommended at Woodley Street Narrow bridge crossing creek with limited space for trail Existing 6’ concrete sidewalk Planned Spring Creek Road Trail alignment along between Jefferson Pkwy bridge L2765 replacement Jefferson Pkwy to be and Woodley St determined during course of project Trail alignment to follow Planned underpasses east side of Spring Creek, on all four sides of MN outside of FEMA floodway Hwy 246 roundabout zone AE Existing Trail Alignment Planned Trail Alignment MILL TOWNS STATE TRAIL PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING 3 WORK PLAN information pertaining to county and state section, right-of-way, plat information, etc. The Toole Design Team is pleased to present Beyond what is shown and dedicated on plats, our project work plan for the Mill Towns State we will work with a qualified abstract company to Trail Preliminary Engineering project. Our obtain additional information (i.e. deed, easement methodology has been tailored to achieve the etc) pertaining to un-platted lands and right-of- project objectives outlined in the Request for way existing by either easement, prescriptive Proposals (RFP), and will be further refined with use or other along and adjoining the project City staff and the MNDNR as needed. corridor (i.e. Owner & Encumbrance Report). We believe an accurate and precise control network TASK 0: PROJECT MANAGEMENT is required on all projects for the completion of a The purpose of this task is to provide core