VILLAGE OF GRAFTON REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WISCONSIN CHAIR COMPANY - PARAMOUNT RECORDS PARK DESIGN The Village of Grafton, in partnership with the Grafton Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Promotion and Development Committee, is requesting proposals for design services for a new historical experience-oriented public space. The half-acre subject property is owned by the Village and is located at the northeast corner of Falls Road and South Green Bay Road on the former Wisconsin Chair Company factory site (see attached Location Map). HISTORY AND BACKGROUND Paramount Records was founded by the Wisconsin Chair Company in 1917, during an era when 78 rpm records were often sold at furniture stores to promote sales of phonographs and phonograph cabinets. Many of the most important recordings in blues history were made at the studio of Paramount Records, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin Chair Company factory. In 1929 a studio was opened at the facility in Grafton. Between 1929 and 1932 Mississippi-born blues pioneers including Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Skip James, Son House, the Mississippi Sheiks, Willie Brown and Henry Townsend traveled north to record at the Wisconsin Chair Company factory studio. With the arrival of the Great Depression record sales declined significantly and in the summer of 1932 Paramount closed its studio. The Wisconsin Chair Company factory shut its doors the following year. Paramount subsequently achieved legendary status among historians and record collectors, including John Steiner, who purchased the label in the late 1940s, and John Tefteller, who decades later uncovered a treasure trove of Paramount advertising images. The Grafton Blues Association, founded in 2006 to celebrate Paramount’s legacy, staged the first annual Paramount Blues Festival that year. The most recent Paramount Blues Festival in Grafton was in 2015. 1 In 2001, the Village worked with Schreiber Anderson Associates to prepare a concept master plan and phased cost estimate for a passive park at the former Wisconsin Chair Company factory site. Paramount Plaza, located in downtown Grafton, was built in 2006 as a way for residents and visitors to remember Grafton’s Blues history. Shaped like a baby grand piano when viewed from above, the Plaza includes piano “keys” inscribed with Blues artists having a connection to the Paramount Records recording studio at the Wisconsin Chair Company factory. A local historian wrote a walking tour of the history of the Blues in Grafton (see attached Paramount Walking Tour Guide). On September 18, 2010, the former Wisconsin Chair Company factory site was designated as a stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail. The Village and the Chamber are now working together to develop a new plan to preserve the historical significance of the former Wisconsin Chair Company factory site and construct an experience-oriented public space. Project goals include: • Create an interactive year-round experience for people of all ages and abilities with ADA access to as much of the site as possible. • Enhance the Mississippi Blues Trail marker. • Connect the downtown Paramount Plaza and the proposed Wisconsin Chair Company-Paramount Records Park. • Improve access to the Milwaukee River, restore the riverbank, and create a fishing pier/overlook. • Produce a creative but practical master plan that can be constructed as planned and phased over time with low maintenance costs. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES NEEDED The qualifications package should address capabilities in the following disciplines (teams of firms are acceptable if a given company doesn’t have professional credentials in one or more of these disciplines): architecture, landscape architecture, park master planning, urban/graphic design, civil engineering (including experience working with WisDNR on riverbank construction), and construction cost estimating and management. Project tasks include: 1. Project Kick Off Meeting: Facilitate and provide electronic materials for a meeting with stakeholders to discuss project approach, timeline, and key design components. 2. Conceptual Site Plan: Prepare a conceptual site plan based on professional experience and the input received at the Kick Off Meeting. 3. Conceptual Site Plan Meeting: Facilitate and provide electronic materials for a meeting with stakeholders to discuss the conceptual site plan. 4. Final Site Plan: Prepare a final site plan based on input received at the Conceptual Site Plan Meeting, with phasing recommendations. 5. Site Renderings: Prepare three renderings of the final construction site and key features to aid in project communication and grant applications. 2 6. Grant Funding Opportunities: Prepare a detailed matrix of funding opportunities including grants, foundations, and other funding sources that align with proposed park improvements. 7. Itemized Cost Estimate: Prepare a detailed itemized cost estimate for all site improvements, with phasing recommendations. 8. Construction Plans and Specifications: Prepare detailed constructions plans, specifications, and quantities ready for construction bidding purposes. PROPOSAL CONTENTS If your firm is interested in providing these services to the Village, please submit relevant information including but not limited to the following: 1. Firm information. Description of firm or firms and basic information (type of company, location, employees, etc.) and disciplines provided. 2. Description of similar projects. Provide descriptions and references for up to five local governments or organizations for which similar services have been provided in the past. 3. Personnel. Resumes (1-2 pages each) of personnel proposed to work in the various disciplines requested. Please specify the project manager. 4. Project Approach. Description of how the firm(s) would approach this project and how they would meet the project goals. 5. Cost. Itemized cost for the project tasks listed in this RFP and the hourly rates of proposed personnel. SELECTION PROCEDURE AND TIMELINE A committee, which may include representatives from Village and Chamber staff, elected and Chamber officials, and Village boards will review the proposals. The committee will score and rank the firms based on the following criteria (100 point scale): 1. Experience and qualifications of the firm or team (up to 30 points). 2. Qualifications of project manager and proposed staff (up to 20 points). 3. Quality of the package submitted (up to 20 points). 4. Fee proposal (up to 30 points). The selection timeline is listed below. The committee may conduct interviews. The Village reserves the right to select the top-ranked firm and negotiate a contract without conducting interviews. RFP Distributed: February 5, 2020 Non-Mandatory On Site Meeting: February 19, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. (weather permitting) Proposals Due: March 13, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. Interviews (if necessary): April 1-3, 2020 Project Awarded: May 4, 2020 (Village Board meeting) The Village and the Chamber anticipate that final design would be completed by the end 2020. 3 Please send seven printed copies of the proposal and one electronic copy in pdf format to Jessica Wolff, Community Development Director, Village of Grafton, 860 Badger Circle, Grafton WI 53024. The Village reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, waive any informalities or irregularities, and/or accept any proposal which, in the opinion of the Village, shall serve the Village’s best interest. INQUIRIES Questions about this solicitation may be submitted in writing, no later than 4:30 p.m. on March 6, 2020, to John Safstrom at [email protected] or Jessica Wolff at [email protected]. ATTACHMENTS • Location Map • Paramount Walking Tour Guide 4 Ozaukee County GIS Ozaukee County 121 W Main St P.O. Box 994 DISCLAIMER: Ozaukee County does not guarantee the accuracy of the material Port Washington WI 53074 contained here in and is not responsible for any misuse or misrepresentation of this SCALE: 1 = 100' 262-284-9411 information or its derivatives. 1,200.00 Print Date: 4/18/2019 Compliments of the www.grafton-wi.org PARAMOUNT WALKING TOUR N N VILLAGE OF GRAFTON OZAUKEE COUNTY, WISCONSIN R WASHINGTON ST TH 6 10 1 15TH 15TH 12 RIVE BRIDGE ST 9 11 BRIDGE ST AV BEECH ST 8 7 14TH RIVER LN V CEDAR ST CEDAR 1 RR E ST T7 H FIC NSIN A AV CI A P ISCO BROAD ST W AN 6 VA ADI 5 VA E N H RUCE ST AV SP CA 11TH T6 1 MAPLE ST H V 12T A H 9TFALLS ST 4 3 1 ENNA 2 V FALLS RD A VI CT F H AL T6 LS RD KEE 1 RD U DR A R AY ILW DA B M E C EN GRE S TOUR SITES LOCATIONS 1 WI. CHAIR COMPANY HISTORICAL MARKER FALLS RD. AND S. GREEN BAY RD. INTERSECTION 2 VIEW FROM BRIDGE LOOKING NORTH FALLS RD. BRIDGE OVER MILWAUKEE RIVER 3 BELIEVED SITE OF RECORDING STUDIO 1803 S. GREEN BAY RD. 4 ALFRED SCHULTZ HOME 1750 12TH AVE. 5 MINTZLAFF - BEVINGTON HOME 1629 12TH AVE. 6 TIMOTHY WOODEN BUILDING 1111 BROAD ST. 7 FORMER GRAFTON POST OFFICE 1314/1316 12TH AVE. 8 GRAFTON HOTEL 1312 WISCONSIN AVE. 9 GRAFTON FAMILY RESTAURANT 1305 WISCONSIN AVE. 10 PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL 1219 12TH AVE. 11 PARAMOUNT RESTAURANT 1304 12TH AVE. 12 PARAMOUNT PLAZA AND WALK OF FAME WISCONSIN AVE. AND BRIDGE ST. INTERSECTION MAP INCLUDES REVISIONS THROUGH JUNE 1, 2007 This booklet is provided by the Village of Grafton Historic Preservation Commission. Comprised of Village Trustees and residents, their sole purpose is to archive, protect and showcase Grafton’s history. As a village commission, they are a 501(c)(3) organization and rely in part on monetary donations. Tax-deductible donations of artifacts or relics relevant to Grafton history are also needed. These items are catalogued for an eventual permanent display in Grafton. If you would like to make a donation, please contact the Village hall at 262-375-5300. “There’s a whole new awareness of Grafton’s connection to blues, jazz, gospel and other music. Our historical contribution to music and our connection with the blues is both legitimate and important.” -Village President Jim Brunnquell Philipp Lithographing Company is a proud supporter of the Village of Grafton and the Paramount Walking Tour.