140L5724Q0017_Attachment_001_Specifications.pdf

SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE

CONSERVATION OF LOG AND WOOD STRUCTURES

AT BOOK CLIFFS CABINS

UINTAH COUNTY, UTAH

I. Scope of Contract

The Contractor shall supply the necessary qualified personnel, materials, equipment, and facilities to conduct and complete the requested preservation and stabilization of the historic log structure components of the Trujillo Cabin (42UN8352), Chipeta Cabin (42UN9562), and Rat Hole Cabin (42UN3351) Historic Sites, located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered lands within the Vernal Field Office (VFO). The Contractor shall prepare a work summary regarding each step of the preservation and restoration associated with this project. Period of performance for the construction is after award thru September 30, 2024, with final report due 120 contract days after construction completion for a total of 210 contract days from issuance of notice to proceed. A draft work summary documenting the work completed and materials used shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) within the timeframe found in the deliverables schedule. The contractor must attend a pre-work meeting with the CO and/or COR.

All work shall be performed in accordance with the recommendations outlined in the reports Condition Assessment and Preservation Plan for the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site, Uintah County, Utah (U21WN0597) (Diederichs and Fisher 2022) and Development of a Preservation Plan for the Trujillo Cabin Historic Site (42UN8352) and the Chipeta Cabin Site (42UN9562), Bitter Creek, Uintah County, Utah (U23WN0354) (Diederichs and Fisher 2023) and in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s "Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties" (36 CFR part 67 Section 7).

II. Objectives

The project will address the following objective:

1.) Provide historical stabilization and conservation services on the historic log structures located at the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site, as per the suggested guidelines contained within Condition Assessment and Preservation Plan for the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site, Uintah County, Utah (U21WN0597) (Diederichs and Fisher 2022) and Development of a Preservation Plan for the Trujillo Cabin Historic Site (42UN8352) and the Chipeta Cabin Site (42UN9562), Bitter Creek, Uintah County, Utah (U23WN0354) (Diederichs and Fisher 2023) and in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s "Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties" (36 CFR part 67 Section 7).

All conservation and stabilization work must be documented and submitted to the BLM following completion of the project. Documentation must include annotated photographs depicting the areas addressed and a description of the materials used. The completed work shall be documented in a brief work summary that verifies the methods employed and the completion of work by the conservator.

III. Statement of Work

A. General

In 2021 and 2023 the BLM-VFO allocated funds to conduct historical stabilization and preservation on the historic log structures at the Rat Hole Cabin, Trujillo, and Chipeta Historic Sites. BLM-VFO is ready to execute a statement of work through this funding. The ensuing project will provide repairs to the historic fabric of the structures and result in the preparation of a work summary documenting all repairs and conservation treatments.

The Trujillo, Chipeta, and Rat Hole Cabin Sites are located in the Book Cliffs area approximately 80 miles south of Vernal, Utah, Township 14S Range 24E, Section 12, Township 15S, Range 25E, Section 20, and Township 14S, Range 25E, Section 23. On lands managed by the BLM- VFO. The nearest town is Vernal. It is approximately a 2.5 hour drive to Vernal. Access to the site includes a combination of paved, hardened gravel roads, and graded dirt roads. No services (e.g. power, water, secure storage) are available at the site. Backcountry camping near the site is available to bidders. Note that access to the site is limited by road conditions and snow depth.

Access to the site is typically available from May 1 through September 30.

There will be a site visit March 13, 2024, at 11:00 AM MT. Meeting at the Green River District Office located at 170 South 500 East, Vernal, UT 84078. All prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to visit the project location before preparing and submitting quotes. Photographs showing current conditions of each site to aid in the quote process can be provided.

B. Introduction and Background

The Trujillo Cabin Historic site (42UN8352) is located on the east side of Bitter Creek and was settled as a homestead by John P. Trujillo ca. 1928 primarily focused on cattle ranching.

The site consists of nine structures: a multi-room cabin, a single-room cabin, an outhouse, two outbuildings, a coal shack, two wooden shacks of unknown use, and a water tank with support structure. In addition, the site contains a corral, a concrete capped well, two pieces of machinery, and an artifact scatter. The site appears on a 1923 General Land Office (GLO) map as Log Cabin J. Trujillo. The site is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under criterion D. Initial recording of the site was conducted in 2014.

Since that recording little additional work has happened. The condition of the site has continued to decline since the 2014 recording. A complete rerecord and stabilization plan was completed in 2023.

The Chipeta Cabin site is located on the west side of Chipeta Canyon and at least one structure is depicted and labeled as a “cabin” on a 1921 GLO map of the area. The property was patented under the Stock Raising Homestead Act in 1925, but was relinquished in 1928, and was subsequently patented by F. Allen Brewer in 1939. The site has not been previously recorded prior to 2023 but is known to consist of three standing structures: a multi-room cabin and two outbuildings. Other site features include remnants of an outhouse, a corral, and fencing The condition of the site has been noted to be declining and though previously utilized as a field station, it is currently inhabitable. A complete recording and stabilization plan was completed in 2023.

The Rat Hole Cabin Historic site (42UN3351) is located on the northern side of Rat Hole canyon and was settled as a homestead by William King ca. 1910 primarily focused on sheepherding.

The site consists of six structures: a cabin, masonry cellar, barn, granary, guest bunkhouse, and outhouse. In addition, the site contains a developed spring, corral, and dump. The site appears on a 1921 General Land Office (GLO) map as Davis Cabin. The site is eligible to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under criteria A, C, and D. The last detailed recording of the site was conducted in 2008. Since that recording the BLM has added additional fencing in an effort to preserve the structures, but little additional work has happened. Initial structure stabilization was completed in 2023.

Structural analysis and a preservation plan of the Trujillo and Chipeta sites has been conducted and is available in Development of a Preservation Plan for the Trujillo Cabin Historic Site (42UN8352) and the Chipeta Cabin Site (42UN9562), Bitter Creek, Uintah County, Utah (U23WN0354) (Diederichs and Fisher 2023) 140L5724Q0017 Attachment 003. Structural analysis and a preservation plan of the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site has been conducted and is available in the Assessment and Preservation Plan for the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site, Uintah County, Utah (U21WN0597) (Diederichs and Fisher 2022) 140L5724Q0017 Attachment 002.

The recommendations in the report will be used to guide the project’s direction. Adherence to the recommendations contained in these reports will ensure conformity to the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for Rehabilitation” while accomplishing the goal of maintaining structural integrity and long-term preservation of the structures. The data accumulated from the structural analysis and the subsequent restoration work tied to this contract will be used to create a long-term plan for the continued maintenance of the masonry structure.

Trujillo Cabin Site

• Trujillo Feature 2 o Masonry Repair: The concrete stem wall/footing around the foundation of the cabin has been undermined by runoff in several areas and the upper portion is peeling away from the building. Support stones should be placed under the foundation and concreted in place where possible to prevent further settlement and backfilled.

o Borate Application: The south end of two basal logs in the east wall of the cabin are rotting and shall be replaced as part of this contract Borate shall be applied to any exterior basal logs in contact with the ground surface on the east, west, and south walls of the cabin.

o Roof Repair: Two small sheets of corrugated tin and the central portion of the tin ridge cap are missing from the roof. These shall be replaced and any loose roof tin shall be secured in place. The roof is also leaking around two stove pipe openings in the east two rooms. The tin roofing around these stove pipes shall be removed and the stove pipe openings sealed with tarpaper and metal flashing before the corrugated tin is replaced.

The stove pipe openings shall be sealed with waterproof insulation and screen covers.

The rotten plywood sheets below the leaking stove pipes inside the rooms shall be removed and replaced.

o Repointing and Siding: The exterior log chinking is in moderate to good condition.

Daub erosion is pervasive but not severe. In patches where the daub has fallen completely away, the joints shall be repointed with a lime mortar to match the original construction.

This daub will be slightly recessed to provide a sense of age and deterioration. There are several gaps in the shiplap siding on the west side of the cabin. These gaps shall be sealed with new segments of 4” wide shiplap boards. These gaps add up to about 10 linear feet of board. The asbestos shingles on the north face of the cabin are a late addition to the structure. Though they do not fit esthetically with the historic construction and use of the cabin, they are protecting the wooden exterior and should be left in place.

o Interior: The eastern rooms and the western rooms should be treated separately when it comes to weather and rodent proofing. The eastern rooms can be much more easily weather and animal proofed. The interior floors, ceilings, and walls of the eastern two rooms are covered with particle board. While this modern treatment detracts from the aesthetic of the cabin, it is an additive treatment that can be removed but is protecting the original fabric while it is in place. Therefore, we recommend that it is kept in place at this time. Wallboard was used to cover the walls and ceilings of the eastern three rooms of the cabin. Most of this material is still intact on the walls. The wall board on the ceilings has either fallen away or is slumping and hanging from the ceiling, exposing the attic space and the rafter planks of the roof. Birds and rodents are getting into the eastern rooms through gaps into the attic. The contractor shall seal all holes in the roof with tin. The loose wallboard shall be left in place.

o A single panel of bead board has fallen off the wall in the northeast room of the cabin.

This panel should be nailed back in place. The window frames have fallen out of the windows in the south wall and the mid-west wall of the cabin. These openings shall be closed with window screen to keep out rodents and birds. The 4” wide and 1” thick fir floorboards just inside the door of the northeast room of the cabin are severely rotten and one of them has collapsed. The broken board shall be replaced in kind to seal out rodents and prevent visitors from falling through the floor. This would require one 4’ long board.

o Window Screen: Of the five windows in the cabin, none have window frames with fully glassed panels. These openings shall be covered with window screen to keep rodents and birds out of the cabin but allow air flow through the rooms.

o Interior Door (Additive): The doorway between the eastern and western rooms measures 3’ wide and 6’10” high and is framed to accommodate a standard door. The contractor shall hang a single pane interior door in this frame and seal it to prevent rodents and birds from entering the eastern rooms from the western rooms.

• Trujillo Feature 3 o Log Replacement: A single 5’ long and 5” in diameter log placed under the south wall of the outhouse, will provide structural support and correct most of the lean. To insert the log under the south wall, the outhouse will need to be tilted up onto its north wall and the support log seated into the eroded banks east and west of the south wall. The structure could then be lowered onto the log.

• Trujillo Feature 5 o Borate Application: Borate shall be applied to any basal logs in contact with the ground surface and to the upper sill logs displaying signs of dry rot. Both the interior and exterior faces of the logs shall be treated as well.

o Roof Repair: The remaining roof tin on the workshop roof shall be secured in place.

o Buck and Rail Fencing: The most active threat to the workshop is cattle damage. To stop cattle from entering and sheltering in front of or inside the building, the space between the workshop and the adjacent cabin (Feature 6) shall be fenced off. This would require two 10’ long sections of buck and rail fencing that would run from the southeast corner of the workshop to the northeast corner of the cabin and from the southwest corner of the workshop to the northwest corner of the cabin. Excess cow manure shall be removed from inside the building so that it does not retain moisture and exacerbate wood rot in the walls. Care should be taken to leave associated artifacts and construction material in place.

• Trujillo Feature 6 o Roof Repair: The roof is leaking around the stove pipe opening. The tin roofing around the stove pipe shall be removed and the opening sealed with tarpaper and metal flashing before the corrugated tin is replaced. Any loose sheets of corrugated tin on the roof shall be secured in place with nails.

o Masonry Repair: The gap in the east wall masonry footer shall be sealed with new stone and concrete. The gaps under the east and north side foundations shall be backfilled.

o Borate Application: To prevent dry rot in the east wall sill logs, borate shall be applied to any exterior basal logs in contact with the ground surface.

o Drainage Contouring (Additive): A small runoff ditch could be dug along the east side of the building to channel water around the south end of the structure.

o Repointing and Weather Proofing: Remnants of yellow foam in the joints between logs on the exterior of the cabin shall be scrapped away. Any gaps in the joints shall be repointed with a lime mortar to match the original construction. This daub will be slightly recessed to provide a sense of age and deterioration, which will contrast it from the modern concrete daub. Metal flashing shall be tacked to the exterior door sill to keep water from seeping into the wood and under the door.

o Interior: Inside the structure, the rotted section of wood paneling in the roof should be replaced. This will require a 6’ x 4’ sheet of similar paneling.

• Trujillo Feature 7 o Exterior Siding: Loose corrugated tin around the structure shall be gathered up and nailed back onto the east and south exterior walls of the shed.

• Trujillo Feature 9 o Roof Repair: The corrugated tin on the roof of Feature 9 appears to be fairly new and galvanized. One 2’ x 4’ pieced of corrugated tin has blown off and shall be replaced. The remaining roof tin shall be secured in place.

o Borate Application: Borate shall be applied to any basal logs or posts in contact with the ground surface.

• Trujillo Feature 10 o Borate Application: Borate shall be applied to any basal logs or posts in contact with the ground surface.

o Roof Repair: Any loose roof material shall be secured in place with nails.

o Repointing: Only a small portion of the daub and wood chinking has fallen out of the exterior joints in the log walls. Any gaps in the joints shall be repointed with a lime mortar to match the original construction.

o Interior: Excess manure inside the building shall be removed to prevent it from holding moisture against the floorboards and the walls. Care shall be taken to leave any associated artifacts inside the building.

o Door (Additive): Feature 10 could be fully weather and animal proofed with the addition of a front door. This door is an optional treatment and would have to be custom made of wood planks to fit the 5’ 0” tall and 2’ 4” wide door.

Chipeta Cabin Site

• Chipeta Feature 1 o Vegetation Control: The oak tree on the south side of the building has caused damage to the roof and has the potential to cause additional damage and block the entryway. The tree branches damaging the southeast corner of the roof shall be removed. Any other tree branches threatening the building or blocking the doorway shall be trimmed away.

o Roof Repair: The damaged section of roof, in the southeast corner of the cabin, shall be repaired. This will require replacing two 2’ x 12’ sheets of corrugated tin. The rest of the roof will also be inspected and any loose tin shall be secured with galvanized roofing nails.

o Masonry Repair: Gaps in the masonry footer shall be sealed by resetting collapsed sandstone masonry in concrete.

o Borate Treatment: To prevent further dry rot in the sill logs, borate shall be applied to the o exterior of logs in contact with the ground surface.

o Log Replacement: The section of rotted basal log below the south wall door shall be replaced with an 8’ long and 5 ½” pine log. To splice the log into place, the rotten log shall be cut away and removed and the new log slid into and nailed into place.

o Window Repair: The window frame that was removed from the window in the west wall, shall be reset and tacked in place with quarter-round white-painted trim.

o Floor Repair Optional: Once the cabin has been cleaned out and the roof leak has been repaired, the floorboards in the southeast corner of the southern room shall be inspected to determine if they have been compromised by dry rot. If compromised the boards shall be replaced with similar 4” wide pine boards, colored to match the original boards.

• Chipeta Feature 2 o Roof repair: All corrugated tin on the roof shall be inspected. Any loose tin shall be tacked in place with galvanized roofing nails.

o Borate Treatment: The interior and exterior faces of all basal logs and the summer beam shall be treated with Borate to prevent further dry rot.

o Door Optional: Feature 2 could be closed off to livestock with the addition of a front door. This door is an optional treatment and would have to be custom made of wood planks to fit the 6’ 5” tall and 2’ 8” wide door. The door would swing inward and be closed with a simple latch.

o Protect Flooring Optional: The original floorboards of the bunkhouse are piled up outside against the north wall. If the structure is closed with a door, this flooring shall be moved inside the building and piled on one of the pieces of plywood to keep it off the ground.

• Chipeta Feature 4 o Repointing: Log joints in the south and west walls of the barn shall be re-chinked and repointed to weatherproof the southwest corner of the barn.

o Roof repair: The contorted southwest corner of the roof shall be bent back into place and o secured to the rafters. The rest of the roof shall be inspected and any other loose tin shall be fastened with galvanized nails.

o Borate Treatment: The interior and exterior faces of all basal logs should be treated with Borate to prevent further dry rot.

• Chipeta Feature 6 o Fence Repair: Two of the fence poles in the fence around the spring have collapsed.

These posts shall be propped back into position and fastened to the upright posts with bailing wire.

Rat Hole Cabin Site

• Rat Hole Feature 3 o Roof Reconstruction: The north half of the roof is beyond repair, but it could be replaced. Though restoration of the roof would impact the integrity of the structure the BLM should consider it as a viable option. Restoration of the roof would a) additionally support the intact south half of the roof, b) protect the interior of the building from weather, and c) remove the safety threat posed by the collapsing north half of roof.

Before the north half of the roof can be rebuilt, the collapsed section should be removed.

Restoration shall begin with the construction of three new rafters built in the same fashion as the standing rafters. These rafters are built with 9’ long 2” x 4” lumber supported by 1’6” cross braces attached just below the peak. Nine 11’ long 1” x 12” boards will be nailed across the rafters as purlins. The salvaged sheets of non-galvanized corrugated tin would be nailed directly to the purlins from below as sheathing.

Contractor Will:

1. The Contractor shall furnish all other equipment and materials necessary to complete this project.

2. Review Preservation Plan for the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site, Uintah County, Utah

(U21WN0597) (Diederichs and Fisher 2022). This will serve as a baseline reference for the site and will guide all preservation and restoration activities at the Rat Hole Cabin site.

3. Review Development of a Preservation Plan for the Trujillo Cabin Historic Site (42UN8352) and the Chipeta Cabin Site (42UN9562), Bitter Creek, Uintah County, Utah (U23WN0354) (Diederichs and Fisher 2023). This will serve as a baseline reference for the sites and will guide all preservation and restoration activities at the Trujillo and Chipeta sites.

4. The project work will be carried out in accordance with specific tasks as described for the historic property identified. Tasks are related to stabilizing and replacing deteriorating building fabric.

5. Provide detailed information of all the materials and suppliers used.

6. Additional requirements based on stabilization report.

7. Optional requirements based on the stabilization report are noted as additive items in the bid schedule.

8. Weekly up-dates between the contractor and the BLM-VFO cultural staff will be necessary to facilitate coordination, problem resolution and consultation, if needed, with the Utah State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

9. Upon the completion of the work, a draft work summary, shall be generated and submitted for review to the COR following the schedule in Section D. After review of the draft work summary, a final summary will be prepared and submitted to the COR.

10. Submit one digital copy of a report detailing the preservation and conservation work conducted along with samples of the mortar and treatments used for future reference to the BLM following the schedule in Section D. One copy will include original before and after photos of all tasks in progress. The report must include original and annotated photographs printed on archival quality paper.

The above is provided as information only and should not necessarily be used as the basis for formulating a bid or serve in place of the offeror’s due diligence. It is the offeror’s responsibility prior to submitting a price quotation to inspect the project area and literature to resolve any concern over the nature and extent of potential difficulties regarding terrain, site density, site size, vegetation density, ground cover, boundaries, access and/or any other factors which may affect the offeror’s price quotation. If the offeror is unfamiliar with the project location, it is strongly recommended that the area be visited by the potential contractor.

B. Government Furnished Property

The Government will make available the materials, supplies, property, or services listed below.

The Contractor shall be liable for the loss or damage to such property until returned to the Government in good condition. Government furnished property will be provided to Contractor at the pre-work meeting.

• All necessary reference materials including site records, maps, reports, etc.

• Condition Assessment and Preservation Plan for the Rat Hole Cabin Historic Site, Uintah County, Utah (U21WN0597) (Diederichs and Fisher 2022)

• Development of a Preservation Plan for the Trujillo Cabin Historic Site (42UN8352) and the Chipeta Cabin Site (42UN9562), Bitter Creek, Uintah County, Utah (U23WN0354) (Diederichs and Fisher 2023)

• Review and provide comments on the draft work summary within 30 days of delivery.

C. Administration, Supervision and Personnel

The Contractor is responsible for all phases of the work and for the quality of deliverables. The Contractor must be able to demonstrate competence in project administration. Such demonstration may include the following: 1) a record of successful completion of similar projects or types of projects with comparable scope and complexity; or 2) a record of responsibility at the PI level in the successful completion of similar projects.

The Contractor shall submit a list of key personnel who will be involved with the project verifying their qualifications and past experience with repointing and restoration work on historic stone buildings.

Key Personnel

Project Supervisor will be responsible for managing the project, project budgets, and personnel, and for meeting project deadlines for each step of the process at the site, including preparation of final reports. This individual will have a working knowledge of the regional history and historic architecture and stabilization methods which meet the Secretary of the Interior's guidelines (36 CFR part 67 Section 7).

Historic Preservation Specialist will provide expertise in the preservation, conservation, and maintenance of the structure, combining a working knowledge of historic stone architecture, and the perspectives of an architect and a scientific conservator. This individual will work to conserve the architectural fabric from which the structures are made, retaining architectural significance that reflects integrity and heritage values. He/she will make treatment recommendations that are based on established preservation principles, and carry out and direct field treatments.

D. Deliverables and Scheduling

The final report will be submitted digitally to the BLM. This copy will include original before and after photos of all tasks in progress. Draft versions of the report may be submitted electronically for review via electronic media or email.

Quality of all report photographs, illustrations, maps and other figures shall be equivalent to the original. Contractor will submit the following items at project completion as per the schedule outlined below: test boards, mortar samples, and all reporting documentation including photographs, annotated photographs, negatives and photo logs, and the final report.

The contractor shall summarize the quality control measures employed by the contractor during the completion of the draft and final reports. This summary will be included in a transmission letter that is to accompany the draft and final reports.

The contract period shall begin on the date the contract was issued and end 210 days after the NTP is issued. The table below outlines the contract schedule. If the final work summary is found to be deficient in form or content, the government may return it for revision. Any additional costs incurred in producing an acceptable work summary shall be borne by the Contractor.

Item Date NTP After Award no later than 05/27/2024 Construction 90 days from NTP Draft Report to BLM 150 days from NTP BLM Comments Due to contractor 180 days from NTP Incorporation of BLM comments into report 210 days from NTP End of Period of Performance 210 days from NTP

E. Bid Schedule

See attached document.

F. Future Use of Project Data

Contractor may use the data resulting from this restoration and conservation project for future purposes only under the following circumstances. Contractor agrees to provide two copies of any manuscripts, reports, and publications pertaining to the project to the BLM. Any manuscript prepared for possible publication will be submitted for review by the BLM prior to publication.