Virgin Islands National Service St. John, Virgin Islands

STATEMENT OF WORK

Hassel Islands Grounds, Ruins and Structures -Vegetation and Debris Removal

1.0 PROJECT INTRODUCTION

Project Name: HASSEL ISLANDS GROUNDS, RUINS & STRUCTURES-

VEGETATION & DEBRIS REMOVAL

1.1 SCOPE

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

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

The Virgin Islands National Park Service (VIIS NPS) seeks a qualified contractor to provide vegetation landscaping services to include but not limited to islands grounds, trails and ruins vegetation maintenance to ensure the safety and accessibility of the visitors and staff to the Virgin Islands National Park Hassel Island site.

The contractor shall provide all labor, tools, equipment, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to safely perform the required tasks. The contractor shall also dispose of all generated debris and vegetation

1.2: LOCATION

Virgin Islands National Park 1300 Cruz Bay Creek St. John, VI. 00830

1.3 DESCRIPTION

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

1. 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 all structures and ruins. Around numerous artifacts and wayside signs.

2. 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 the 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.

3. 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 aforementioned 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

1.4 VEGETATION REMOVAL GUIDELINES FROM HISTRORIC

STRUCTURES

• Clearing Vegetation Along the Edge of Roads- In clearing the Park’s road edges by mechanical means, we must be mindful to not use this equipment where historic ruins are present. Clearing the road edge at these locations must be done by hand as described below in Clearing vegetation around historic sites.

• Clearing Historic Park Trails- Most of the trails on St. John and 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. On St. John they are approximately 3 to 4 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 surround them.

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

Before clearing a structure be sure to evaluate the risks and dangerous areas that must be avoided and never remove vines or plants by pulling on them, as this can result in a collapse and will assuredly result in damage to the building.

As a rule, vegetation is removed no more than ten feet around a structure. In complex setting this can result in the removal of almost all vegetation if precautions are not taken. Each time a new site is selected it is important to establish the limits as to what should be removed with a park manager.

Mowers, weed whackers, and hand tools are all great tools if used in the right 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 with. 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 can 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, handsaws and clippers and no plants should be pulled as this could be damaging an historic floor that may not be obvious. Mowers can be used were approved;

usually large open areas such as the esplanade at Shipley Battery, the grounds at Careening Cove, and the grounds at Creque Marine.

• 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 and killing the plant will result in a masonry collapse. However, if the plant can be eliminated before it gets to this stage then we have prolonged the time the 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 not 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 a supervisor or park employee 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.

In clearing along the Park’s road edges by mechanical means we must be mindful to not use this equipment where historic ruins are present. Clearing the road edge at these locations must be done by hand as described below in Clearing vegetation around historic sites.

Most ruins on the road edge can be found on the one-way loop between Maho Bay and Annaberg.

1.5 REQUIREMENTS

1. Contractor shall verify all areas and measurements prior to submitting of bids.

2. Contractor shall use all safety equipment and procedures;

necessary PPE’s and tools to perform work in a safe manner.

Signage, cones, safety vest, hard hats etc.

3. Contractor shall remove dead trees in a manner not to damage person and property.

4. Contractor shall remove all debris from site

5. Contractor shall provide a schedule for each location prior to beginning work. Schedule to include days and time in order to give prior notification to Park personnel and residence at location.

6. Contractor shall receive written approval prior to obligating Park funds and/or resources. This is to include but not limited to notice to proceed, change orders, additional work not outlined in scope of work, etc.

7. No additional work is to be perform unless a written change order is submitted for review and approved to proceed is given in writing to the Contractor.

8. Contractor shall provide all necessary copies of invoice of work performed.

1.6 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The contract performance period shall be 150 days from the date of award. Work shall be conducted Monday through Friday, during regular business hours. Any work outside of these times requires prior approval from NPS.

1.6: INFORMATION

NPS Points of Contact will be provided once contract is awarded.

1.7: FEE AND PAYMENTS

1. Payments to the Contractor shall be made on the completion and acceptance of contract.

2. All invoices shall be submitted to COR for approval and signatures.

3. Prior to uploading into the system for payment, the COR approved invoices related to each task shall be uploaded into the Invoices Processing Platform System, (IPP), US Department of Treasury http://www.ipp.gov for payment.

http://www.ipp.gov/