SOLICITATION# M86-SB 03/04 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THE RENOVATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF AN OUTDOOR CAFÉ IN STUYVESANT SQUARE PARK MANHATTAN ISSUE DATE: MARCH 5, 2004 MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK ADRIAN BENEPE COMMISSIONER OF PARKS & RECREATION JOANNE G. IMOHIOSEN ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR REVENUE WILLIAM T. CASTRO BOROUGH COMMISSIONER FOR MANHATTAN PARKS Request for Proposals Stuyvesant Square Outdoor Cafe Page 1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR THE RENOVATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF AN OUTDOOR CAFÉ IN STUYVESANT SQUARE PARK, MANHATTAN City of New York Parks & Recreation requests proposals for the renovation, operation, and maintenance of an outdoor café in Stuyvesant Square Park, Manhattan. The concession area will be in and around the vacant comfort station located in the southwest corner of the park, on the side of the park that is east of Second Avenue. Parks is seeking proposers with a solid background in the restaurant or food service business to design, renovate, operate, and maintain the facility. The food and service offered must be of high quality. Parks is seeking a concessionaire for a nine (9) year term. No longer term will be considered. This concession will be operated pursuant to a license issued by Parks; no leasehold or other proprietary right is offered. PROJECT MANAGER The City of New York Parks and Recreation Project Manager for this concession is Slater Gray. All RFP questions and/or inquiries should be directed to her. She may be reached at the Arsenal in Central Park at (212) 360-1397. You may also fax your questions to her at (212) 360-3428 or e-mail her at [email protected]. If you have a hearing impairment, please call the following toll-free number and leave a message on the Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD). The TDD number is 1-800-281-5722. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TIMETABLE The following schedule has been established for the Request for Proposals for the renovation, operation, and maintenance of an outdoor cafe in Stuyvesant Park, Manhattan. RFP Release Date: Friday, March 5, 2004 Site Tour: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 @ 11:00 AM Proposals Due: Thursday, April 22, 2004 @ 3:00 PM PLEASE NOTE: THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT. If you have a physical disability and cannot deliver your proposal to the Arsenal, please contact the Project Manager at least 48 hours prior to the deadline and special arrangements will be made for you. Request for Proposals Stuyvesant Square Outdoor Cafe Page 2 PROJECT BACKGROUND Stuyvesant Square, which is bisected by Second Avenue, is located between 15th and 17th Streets, and is bordered on the west and east by Rutherford and Nathan D. Perlman (originally Livingston) Places, respectively. Like its neighbors Washington Square and Union Square, Stuyvesant Square Park has played a double role throughout New York City history, serving as both a residential park and a public square. Stuyvesant Square Park, which bears the name of early New York (then New Amsterdam) governor Peter Stuyvesant and his descendants, was ceded (some accounts say sold for five dollars) to the City by a descendant of the Stuyvesant family in 1836. The condition of this donation was that the land, which was the only original piece of Governor Stuyvesant’s farm left in 1836, be used as an ornamental public square and meeting place. This original intention seems quite relevant today as the park serves as a break in the line of hospitals and small commercial businesses that line Second Avenue. Several artistic treasures adorn the park, including statues of Peter Stuyvesant by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and of composer Antonin Dvorak by Ivan Mestrovic, the Croatian-American sculptor and pupil of Rodin. The park is also fenced in with a cast-iron fence, the last one of its sort to surround a public park in New York City. The portion of this fence that encloses the west park underwent a restoration in 1988. City of New York Parks & Recreation requests proposals for the renovation, operation, and maintenance of an outdoor café in Stuyvesant Square Park, Manhattan. The concession area will be in and around the vacant comfort station located in the southwest corner of the part of the park east of Second Avenue. Parks is seeking proposers with a solid background in the restaurant business to design, construct, maintain, and operate a café of the highest caliber, with small restroom facilities available to the public. The food and service provided must be of the highest quality. The café should make a significant improvement to the ambience of the park and the surrounding community while providing a convenient service to the public. The concessionaire may place attractive tables and chairs for use by the public in the open space outside the renovated café. The design of tables and chairs, as well as their exact number and location, will be subject to Parks’ approval. THE TERM AND REQUIREMENTS The term for this concession will be nine (9) years. No longer term will be considered. This concession will be operated pursuant to a license issued by Parks; no leasehold or other proprietary right is offered. There will be an on-site inspection meeting on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 11:00 AM. We will meet in front of the vacant comfort station located in the southwest corner of the park, on the side of the park that is east of Second Avenue. If you are considering responding to this RFP, please make every effort to attend this meeting. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS A. EXISTING CONDITIONS The café will be housed in the octagonal shaped structure, originally designed for use as a comfort station, located in the southwest corner of the part of the park east of Second Avenue. The original plans of this structure indicate the existence of water, sewer, electric and gas lines. Proposers should verify the condition of these lines to determine if they are suitable for the proposed use. Furthermore, in order to provide exhaust, new kitchen equipment, and air conditioning, proposers must determine if additional power and electrical service is required. Request for Proposals Stuyvesant Square Outdoor Cafe Page 3 * Note: All necessary permits and approvals for capital work and design must be obtained from the Department of Buildings. Additionally, all designs and works to be performed on the structure will require prior approval from Parks & Recreation, the New York City Art Commission, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and any other agencies having jurisdiction. B. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ! The concessionaire must purchase and install new kitchen equipment for the operation of a first class snack bar. ! Plans of the building indicate that utility connections exist. However, the concessionaire will be required to upgrade all utilities so that they are in compliance with City, state, and federal code and are adequate to meet the designed new loads. While the Parks Department acknowledges that the utilities exist, they make no guarantees as to their condition. The concessionaire must also provide meters for these utilities at his/her own cost. ! Currently, the structure houses two separate restroom facilities, within which there are four toilet stalls in the women’s restroom and three toilet stalls and three urinals in the men’s restroom. The renovations to the structure must include one single toilet stall restroom facility, which will be operated and maintained (including regular cleaning) by the concessionaire. The design of this facility must comply with all City, State and Federal laws relating to access for people with disabilities. ! Adequate renovations will also include new floor, wall, and ceiling finishes. ! Replace the glass block window with a service counter and window on the northeast side of the kiosk. The design will be subject to parks, Art Commission and Landmarks review and should be in keeping with the original style and character of the kiosk. ! This new location of the service counter will face what is currently a plot of greenery. Therefore it will be necessary to develop new landscaping and pathways leading to the renovated restroom facilities and the service counter. ! The concessionaire will be required to convert part of this structure into a new storage room with shelving to facilitate cleaning and ensure protection of all dry goods from contamination. ! The concessionaire will be responsible for providing sanitary and storm sewer connections and for the continued maintenance and repair of the roof and gutters as needed. ! Concessionaires should purchase and maintain a suitable number of tables, chairs, and, if necessary, umbrellas to provide for outdoor dining. The design of such objects should add to the overall pleasant ambience provided by the park. The exact number and design of tables, chairs, and umbrellas are subject to Parks’ approval. ! No advertisements are permitted on umbrellas or the park fencing. All signs must be approved by Parks. ! Repoint brickwork as necessary. ! The concessionaire will be responsible for having the premises inspected for the presence of asbestos. Should an inspection turn up the presence of asbestos, the concessionaire will be responsible for its removal. ! All plans should be prepared by licensed architects and or engineers and are subject to Parks’ approval prior to Art Commission, Landmarks, and NYC Department of Buildings approvals. ! Designs must be prepared for Parks, Art Commission, Landmarks, and Department of Buildings approval. Any exterior alterations or repairs will require specific Parks and Landmarks approval and should be detailed with respect towards the original building materials, styles and building methods. Parks has installed a new roof and will provide maintenance of the roof for the life of the contract. Request for Proposals Stuyvesant Square Outdoor Cafe Page 4 All improvements are to be paid for by the concessionaire.