RFP_Final Design_VSC_FloodplainRestoration.pdf

This is a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the Vermont Studio Center (VSC) in Johnson, Vermont, seeking final design engineering services for a floodplain restoration project along the Gihon River. The project scope involves completing final design (100% design development) for a 0.4-acre floodplain restoration site that will include removal of existing fill and riprap, riverbank gradient reduction, native plantings, and integration with an adjacent pollinator garden and educational pathway. A Phase I Archaeological Resources Assessment was completed by UMV CAP in summer 2025, with concurrence from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP), and a 30% design was completed by SLR as of November 1, 2025. The project follows the removal of a campus building (Former Johnson Town Garage site) that sustained substantial damage during the July 2023 flood and aims to restore natural floodplain conditions while enhancing stream buffer areas to reduce flood velocity and increase flood storage capacity during future events.

The floodplain restoration project is funded by the Lamoille Clean Water Service Provider, which supported the 30% design phase. The VSC plans to pursue additional education-based grants to support installation of educational signage highlighting the ecological benefits of the floodplain restoration and pollinator garden. The final design will serve as the basis for future construction and will contribute to overall flood resiliency objectives for Johnson Village while providing public education and recreation opportunities through the maintained river access point and proposed walking path infrastructure.