Hassel_Island_Landscaping_SOW.pdf

Virgin Islands National Park Service

St. John, Virgin Islands

SCOPE OF WORK

HASSEL ISLAND GROUNDS, RUINS AND STRUCTURES- VEGETATION

SERVICE CONTRACT

PROJECT INTRODUCTION

Hassel Island Grounds, Ruins and Structures Vegetation Service Contract

SCOPE

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contract, the Contractor shall perform the work of this Request for Proposal (RFP) for the National Park Service (NPS) as described below.

All services performed under this RFQ shall be performed in accordance with applicable codes and accepted industry standards.

This service contract is for two cuts to be performed within 90 days.

LOCATION

The project area is located at the Virgin Islands National Park Service Grounds on the island of Hassel Island:

DESCRIPTION

• Vegetation Maintenance - Grounds

• Vegetation Maintenance - Trails

• Vegetation Maintenance - Ruins

This work includes:

• Vegetation Maintenance Grounds – Cutting, trimming, raking, blowing and debris removal to a manicure finish of all vegetation and trees. Care shall be given to visitors, vessels, artifacts, and any other feature that can be damaged because of work being performed.

• Bulkhead grounds and ruins. Around numerous artifacts and wayside signs.

• Old slipway grounds and ruins. Around numerous artifacts and wayside signs.

• Inside and out of structures. Around numerous artifacts and wayside signs.

• Vegetation Maintenance Trails – Cutting, trimming, raking, blowing and debris removal to a manicure finish of all vegetation and trees. Care shall be given to visitors, vessels, artifacts, and any other feature that can be damaged because of work being performed.

• Trail head from seawall at Creque Marine Railway heading towards the historic slipway of the large building.

• Trail heading toward to stairs and continuing towards the Leprosarium and loops trails to Shipley’s battery.

• Trail loop for the Red Trail

• Trail connection Shipley’s Battery loop trail and 1801 British Officer’s Quarters.

• Trail connecting to the Hamburg American Line structures at Careening Cove passing the Brondsted & Company Wharf, Lime Kiln and Historic Barge.

• Trail connecting through the 1801 British Officers' Quarters, Hazzoli Family Cemetery, 1801 British Barracks Complex, to the Hospital and Pharmacy. Trail maintenance will end at - and not include - the loop trail that leads to Cowell's Battery and Signal Section,

• Trail going to Careening Cove buildings.

Vegetation Maintenance Ruins – Cutting, trimming, raking, blowing and debris removal to a manicure finish of all vegetation and trees. Care shall be given to visitors, vessels, artifacts, and any other feature that can be damaged because of work being performed. All historic structures and ruins along the trails include:

• Creque Marine Railway

• Leprosarium

• Shipley’s Battery

• Hamburg American Line

• Historic Barge

• Lime Kiln

• Brondsted & Company Wharf

• 1801 British Officer’s Quarters

• Hazzel Family Cemetery

• 1801 British Barracks Complex

• Hospital and Pharmacy

VEGETATION REMOVAL GUIDELINES FROM HISTORIC STRUCTURES

• Clearing Historic Park Trails - Most of the trails on Hassel Island are historic roads or very near to historic routes. With that in mind we must ensure that their integrity remains intact just as we would an historic building. In the park, trails are cleared with hand loppers or clippers and weed whackers where appropriate. The width of a park trail on Hassel Island should be cleared 4 to 6 feet wide. Any vegetation cut in a trail or at historic sites should be cut flush with the ground to avoid any possibility of a trip hazard or body puncture.

• Clearing Vegetation Around Historic Sites - In clearing around historic sites, we must keep in mind that there may still be remnants of historic gardens and crops present that can add so much to our knowledge and understanding of these historic sites and the landscape that surrounded them.

Safety is of utmost importance when working around old walls. The possibility of injury due to a collapse is there and all precautions must be adhered to this will ensure everyone’s safety.

Before clearing a structure, be sure to evaluate the risks and dangerous areas that must be avoided.

Never remove vines or plants by pulling on them as this would result in damage to the historic structure.

As a rule, vegetation is removed no more than ten feet around a structure.

Mowers, weed whackers, and hand can be used in the appropriate locations. Within one foot of an historic wall that contains any soft masonry materials such as historic brick or plaster only hand tools such as loppers, hand saws and clippers should be used to cut. If a structure is made of only stone, then a weed-whacker can be used next to the building without damaging the structure.

Clearing away from the walls past the one-foot zone should be accomplished with hand tools and weed whackers where historic fabric is not present. Clearing inside the structure’s walls should be accomplished with only loppers, hand saws and clippers and no plants should be pulled as this could be damaging an historic floor that may not be obvious.

• Clearing Vegetation Growing out of Historic Structures

Clearing vegetation growing out of the walls of historic structures can preserve these buildings and if done wrong can quickly destroy them. If the roots of a plant have firmly embedded themselves to the point where they are blowing the wall apart or in some cases holding the wall together cutting, killing the plant will result in a masonry collapse. The plant should be eliminated before it gets to this stage to prolonged the time the historic structure will remain standing.

In general plants that are one inch or less in diameter that are growing out of the walls have not reached the point where cutting and killing them with herbicide would be harmful to the building.

However, there is always the exception so the crew supervisor should emphasize the need for each team member to inspect first to ensure the cutting of the plant is the appropriate action. If the plant is two inches in diameter, then the plant’s removal should be evaluated by the Park Contracting Officer or designee to determine if its removal would cause damage. Again, do not pull plants out of the historic fabric for your safety and the life of the structure.

HERBICIDE USE

The use of herbicide is recommended for the elimination of exotic non- native plants and the removal of small plants that are not embedded to deeply into historic fabric.

Herbicides approved for use in the park include: garlon, roundup or rodeo and milestone. Garlon is effective in treating most trees and bushes, but only milestone 100% stump application works in treating tan. Roundup and rodeo work on grass such as guinea grass.

Field Procedures for Herbicide Application

1. Each crew member should receive training by the leader on safe herbicide use. The information below is basic and more extensive training should be provided. Crew should be provided with written pesticide safety information.

2. A leader who is certified in herbicide application should supervise all application on site.

If not possible, the leader should be trained and experienced, and the park should have a certified applicator on duty during application. See state regulations for specifics. In lieu of state regulation, the standard here should be applied. Florida state certification can be used for USVI.

3. All applicators should wear personal protective equipment whenever handling or applying herbicide including protective eyewear, chemical resistant gloves, long pants, closed shoes and socks. Any herbicide contacting skin should be washed off according to label directions.

4. Clothing with herbicide should be laundered according to herbicide label directions.

5. Equipment should be checked before taking to the field for leakage or other problems.

Use water to test equipment.

6. Application amounts should not exceed label limitations. Herbicides should only be applied to plants listed on their label.

7. Great care should be taken to apply herbicide only to target plants and to avoid spray drift.

Training in drift management should occur.

8. Herbicide should be applied only in proper weather conditions- ideally, sunny or partly cloudy, < 85F, and with no precipitation expected for 8 hours. Mid-day application is best.

9. Foliar spray should be applied to all leaves on a plant, until surface is thoroughly wet but not to the point of running off. Cut stem herbicide should be applied to the entire diameter of the cut stem, unless the plant is very large, then just to the cambium area. Solution should be applied soon after cutting.

10. All equipment should be “triple” rinsed when finished and labeled as rinsed. If it contains chemicals, it should be labeled with product, chemical, mixture and date. Rinse water should be drained on target plants and application areas only. Oil mixtures may need cleaning other than water rinses.

11. Pesticides including herbicide should be labeled and stored in a pesticide safe cabinet that is locked, or in a locked facility. Secondary containment should be under all containers.

12. Pesticide and herbicide use should be thoroughly documented in a log, following any state and NPS standards if applicable. The contractor’s log shall include date, herbicide used, specific location, quantity, plant applied to, crew member applying herbicide, and any additional information required by the state and NPS standards. The NPS is required to report herbicide usage annually.

REQUIREMENT

• Contractor shall use all safety equipment and procedures; necessary PPE and tools to perform work safely (e.g., signage, cones, safety vest, hard hats, etc.).

• Contractor shall remove dead trees in a manner that does not damage persons and property.

• Contractor shall remove all debris from the site unless specified by the Park.

• Contractor shall provide a schedule for location before beginning work. Schedule to include days and times to give prior notification to Park personnel.

• No additional work is to be performed that is not listed in the scope of work. Any change request must be made to the contracting officer (CO) only and for approval before proceeding. The CO is the only person with the authority to authorize changes.

• Contractor shall provide all necessary copies of the invoice for work performed name of employee and days’ work for each.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Will be provided at time of award.

FEES AND PAYMENT

A. All travel and any other direct or indirect costs shall be included in the work included in the offer.

B. No legal liability on the part of the Government for any payment may arise for performance under this contract beyond the amount that has been authorized through the issuance of the award.

C. Payment will be processed after the inspection and acceptance by the government for services rendered.