WsideRRPre-quote_Notes.docx

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Railroad Bed Removal Solicitation No. 12-52B1-18-Q-0023 April 27 / May 3 / May 8, 2018 Attendees: (See Attached) Hosted By:

Robert Hommes, USDA Forest Service Midewin

The meeting started in the office with a general review of the documents in the solicitation package and a review of the site specific Midewin access policies. Midewin in a non-motorized recreational area with locked gates across road access points. Keys and placards will be issued to the successful contractor but approved access routes must be followed, key holders are not allowed access outside of the contract area.

The groups then went out to visit the project work sites, located on the west side of Midewin. We drove in through the south access on Boathouse Road to view the areas where ballast will be removed. All steel rails and the majority of the wooden ties have already been removed. Any remaining ties have been pulled out of the ground and stacked randomly along the rail beds. These ties are marked with small flagging. All ties along both the straight and curved sections of the rail beds marked in green and yellow on Attachment A to the original package must be removed and disposed off-site. Free tipping for the ties is available at the Prairie View Landfill, Midewin will supply the proper documentation. Once the ballast is removed there is no requirement to bring in any fill to cover the rail beds. Simply grade the areas as best possible to blend in with the surrounding topography.

We then travelled the haul route to the deposition area located north of Prairie Creek. The route included crossing one bridge over Prairie Creek that has a posting of 21 tons. Past experience has shown that this bridge is capable of supporting loaded trucks up to 36 tons. Heavier loads than 36 tons require prior approval by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

The two available deposition sites for the ballast are located along G and H lines as depicted in Attachment B in the solicitation. As originally stated, ballast shall be dumped and used at the G-line site until it is complete and then any remaining ballast shall be deposited at the H-line site. There may not be any ballast remaining for H-line if it is all needed at G-line, that’s OK.

Attachment D was not included with the original solicitation and is attached now for your use. It clearly defines the expected contours and sub-surface composition at both G and H lines, they are different from each other. Also included is Attachment E which also illustrates the contours at G and H lines. Attachment E was used at the May 3rd and 8th site visits, before Attachment D was recovered. For any discrepancies between Attachments D and E, Attachment D will take precedence.

Lastly, it is not anticipated that any sand will be moved from G-line to H-line, or visa-versa. There should be enough sand already stockpiled along each line to complete the task.

To the best of my knowledge, these were the main topics covered at the meetings.