VICK_209567A_SOW_Monument_Preservation_Plan.pdf

SCOPE OF WORK

PMIS 209567A

Prepare a Condition Assessment and Preventive Conservation Plan

For Monuments, Iron Tablets and Markers, Bronze Castings, and Historic Cannons

On Outdoor Exhibit at the Vicksburg National Military Park

Purpose of Work

Vicksburg National Military Park is seeking professional services to prepare a Preventive Conservation Plan for Monuments, Iron Tablets and Position Markers, Bronze Castings and Historic Cannons on Outdoor Exhibit (“Plan”) at the Vicksburg National Military Park. The Plan shall address preventive conservation needs, methods and materials, supplies and equipment, and cyclic treatment priorities and schedules. The Plan shall also address environmental concerns (e.g., climate, dirt and vegetation, pests, light) and other preventive conservation actions necessary to develop effective and sustainable preventive conservation programs for a variety of NPS cultural resources on outdoor exhibit.

Preserving the park's cultural resources on outdoor exhibit mandates a comprehensive and well-defined program of routine and cyclic maintenance. This program must include regular monitoring and inspection, detailed documentation, and an extensive schedule of cleaning, washing, waxing, repointing, painting, and stabilizing a wide variety of historic monuments, markers, tablets, busts and relief portraits, and cannons. The purpose of this project is to develop a comprehensive planning document to include necessary guidance to support successful and sustainable preservation programs for the park.

The park staff must also provide adequate protection from natural processes such as erosion and acid rain, as well as various human impacts including vandalism, looting (relic hunting), and regular visitor use.

This project includes the Condition Assessment of the Park’s small stone monuments, cast iron tablets and position markers, bronze castings, and historic cannons on outdoor exhibit. No large state memorials are included. Treatment recommendations, project phasing, and preliminary cost estimates are also included as part of the scope.

History of the Park

Vicksburg National Military Park was established by legislation on February 21, 1899, to commemorate the siege of, and campaign for Vicksburg by the Union during the Civil War. This followed lengthy efforts by the veterans’ group Vicksburg National Military Park Association, organized in 1895, to create a military park commemorating the Vicksburg Campaign. The Park was established “In order to commemorate the campaign and siege and defense of Vicksburg to preserve the history of the battles and operations of the siege and defense on the ground where they were fought and were carried on....” (Congressional Record 1899, 32:1518).

Originally comprised of approximately 1,200 acres, the park circled the town of Vicksburg and precluded modern-day growth of the municipality. The southern third of the park through land exchange was ceded to the city, while additional acreage was acquired to the north, expanding the park to 1,741 acres. In 1990, Congressional legislation was passed to expand the park’s boundaries and to broaden the interpretive scope of the park. This new scope is to include the campaigns leading up to the siege of Vicksburg (April 1862 - July 1863), as well as the history of the town of Vicksburg through the post-war Reconstruction period. The park expanded again in 2002 with the addition of Pemberton’s Headquarters and in 2014 with the addition of Champion Hill, Raymond, and Port Gibson units.

Description of Works on Outdoor Exhibit

Vicksburg National Military Park contains an extensive collection of historic structures and other types of works on outdoor exhibit including monuments, cast iron tablets and position markers, bronze castings, headstones (National Cemetery), cannons and carriages, bridges, buildings, and a city class, ironclad river gunboat, the USS Cairo. The monumentation, of which 95% was erected prior to 1917, features stone and bronze work created by the some of the most renowned

American sculptors, giving the park the distinction of having one of the largest collections of outdoor art in the southeastern United States.

The Park’s significant cultural resources commemorate several time-periods: Civil War period;

Reconstruction, the long history of commemoration at the battlefield; and Park development from 1890 to the present. The Park currently has 975 records in its List of Classified Structures (LCS) including monuments, tablets, markers, castings, buildings, bridges, roads, brick walls, etc. The LCS is an evaluated inventory of all historic and prehistoric structures that have historical, architectural, and/or engineering significance within parks of the National Park System in which the National Park Service has, or plans to acquire, any legally enforceable interest. The list is evaluated or "classified" by the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) criteria. Structures are constructed works that serve some form of human activity and are generally immovable.

Nearly 150 historic cannon tubes, accessioned and cataloged in the Park’s museum collection, are currently on outdoor exhibit and located throughout the park and adjacent City of Vicksburg.

The battlefield tablets, position markers, monuments and memorials are considered cultural resources but are listed as “classified structures” and are not catalogued in the Park’s museum collection.

The majority of works to be included in this project are located within the Park boundaries in Vicksburg, MS. However, some works are located on City of Vicksburg (“City”) property in various locations adjacent to or nearby the Park. The NPS shall provide a detailed map with coordinates of all outdoor works to be included in this project.

The scope of work for this project includes the following types of works on outdoor exhibit:

Stone Monuments: The Park manages approximately 275 stone monuments of various sizes located throughout the park. Some are on exhibit in the adjacent City of Vicksburg due to necessary relocation and/or past land transfers with the City. Large state memorials (25) are not included in this project. Some monuments have concrete aprons (added by the park), while others do not.

Cast Iron Tablets and Position Markers: The Park features approximately 1,165 cast iron tablets and position markers which make up the majority of monumentation within the park.

Some are in the adjacent City of Vicksburg due to past land transfers with the City. Red and blue paint are used to distinguish the Confederate and Union position markers, respectively.

Bronze Busts and Relief Portraits: The Park manages approximately 150 bronze busts and relief portraits located throughout the park. Some are in the adjacent City of Vicksburg due to necessary relocation and/or past land transfers with the City.

Historic Cannons: The Park manages nearly 150 historic cannons on outdoor exhibit. The cannons are located throughout the park, and a few are on exhibit in the adjacent City of

Vicksburg. The cannons are also managed as NPS museum property, as they are accessioned and cataloged in the Park museum collection; the cannon carriages are reproductions.

The NPS shall provide a comprehensive list of all works on outdoor exhibit to assist the Contractor and facilitate project work.

Scope of Work

A. Coordinate a Kickoff Meeting via Conference Call or Video Chat platform to introduce project team members, NPS staff, and discuss the project schedule.

B. Travel to VICK at agreed upon date(s) to meet with the COR, Cultural Resource Program Manager and other designated NPS staff, and perform an on-site survey and evaluation of the works on outdoor exhibit, as well as the environment (e.g., climate, pests, etc.), preventive conservation needs, and current cyclic maintenance activities and schedules. Existing information regarding environmental concerns and resource management activities (e.g., climate monitoring data, IPM, etc.) will be provided by the NPS staff, where it exists. The evaluation shall include interviews with NPS staff conducting cyclic maintenance and resource management duties to determine what is currently being done and on what schedules. The condition assessment and site visit(s) shall occur during the spring or summer of 2022. All works shall be assessed from ground level without additional access (no scaffolding or lift). Contractor shall record dimensions and conditions in written and photographic form, with representative photos included in the Draft and Final Plan.

Contractor shall include notes on the artist, commissioning agency, and/or any previous conservation work, if known.

C. Document each work surveyed. Include current conditions and their likely causes, recommendations for treatment, and/or repairs.

D. Develop a table/list with treatment priorities and preliminary cost estimates for the recommended work; include in Draft and Final Plan.

E. Provide a written Preventive Conservation Plan to include the following sections:

• Introduction

• Purpose of the Plan

• Summary of Condition Assessment methodology and findings

• General recommendations and guidelines for the different types of works on outdoor exhibit, including recommendations on concrete aprons (size, color, mix, etc).

• Recommendations for specific works on outdoor exhibit, as necessary

• Environmental conditions and concerns (e.g., climate, dirt and vegetation, pests, light, etc.)

• Treatment types/categories, methods, equipment, and supplies (including Personal Protective Equipment - PPE); include expertise required

• Preventive conservation schedules for groups of works and specific works, as necessary (e.g., quarterly, annually, every 2 years, every 5 years) taking into consideration realistic staffing and budget constraints

• Appendices (e.g., additional detailed guidance on specific preservation treatments, methods, and materials, as necessary)

F. Prepare Excel spreadsheet (or comparable tool) to document all surveyed works, preventive conservation treatment needs and schedules; include treatment priorities and preliminary costs to complete necessary treatment. Include line-item costs for labor and equipment and supplies, to the extent possible. The spreadsheet shall group or bundle similar type work into phased projects with overall cost estimates. The NPS will use these groupings to secure funds to carry out the work in the future.

G. Submit Draft Plan for NPS review and comment (allow 30 calendar days)

H. Finalize Final Plan based on NPS comments; submit Final Plan to NPS.

The Plan shall include images of general conditions of the works on outdoor exhibit, as well as examples of common problems and general repair needs.

The Plan shall be understandable by the wide variety of NPS staff (e.g., Resource Management, Interpretation, Maintenance staff) who will conduct, coordinate and/or procure the preventive conservation treatment work in the Park.

NPS/Park shall provide copies and/or access to accession and maintenance records held by individual Park Divisions to yield additional details on works.

NPS shall provide records, GIS data and maps on locations of all works on outdoor exhibit to facilitate the site visit(s) and Condition Assessment.

Standards

The preventive conservation recommendations (including handling guidelines, cleaning techniques, materials, and other recommendations) must adhere to the overall principles and practices outlined in the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the American Institute for

Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. During the site visits, the Contractor has an ethical obligation to verbally point out serious preservation weaknesses as they are encountered, if such weaknesses could, in his/her judgment, result in imminent loss of Park resources.

Deliverables & Project Schedule

The Contractor is responsible for contacting the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to coordinate the site visit(s). The initial site visit(s) will occur at a time agreeable to the Contractor, Contracting Officer, and Park staff.

The on-site Condition Assessments are estimated to take a period of ten (10) days, plus travel time (2 days). Bids shall include estimated travel expenses and implement COVID-19 travel restrictions. During the on-site inspections, the Contractor shall be responsible for all photographs and measurements necessary to document his/her work and recommendations.

Deliverables for this project include:

1. Draft and Final versions of a written Preventive Conservation Plan as outlined above. The Plans shall also include an Excel spreadsheet to document all surveyed works, preventive conservation treatment needs, schedules, preliminary costs, phased treatments, and grouped projects.

2. Contractor shall use the following format for the Draft and Final Plan:

• All text shall conform in punctuation, endnote, and bibliographic form, as well as other stylistic matters, to the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition). The Draft and Final Plan shall be produced using 8-1/2 x 11 sheets, portrait orientation. Use cover-stock for cover and back page.

• Copies of the Draft Plan shall include line numbers to facilitate the NPS review process.

• Graphics in the Draft Plan – including mapping – can be printed on Z-fold, 11 x 17 sheets. The Contractor shall include the park name and project name on each map.

• A document number for the Draft Plan will be provided by the COR. The document number shall be placed on the inside back cover along with the date, NPS and Department of the Interior (DOI) logos and statement. A back-page layout will be provided by the COR upon request.

• The Contractor shall format the PDF version of the Final Plan to meet the accessibility requirements and standards as defined by the United States Access Board in compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. All final digital materials shall be 508 compliant.

3. Contractor shall submit one (1) electronic copy in both Adobe Acrobat (pdf) and MS Word of the Draft Plan, with lines numbered on each page, for NPS 30-day internal review and comment.

4. Contractor shall prepare responses to review comments on the Draft Plan and submit these for approval before incorporating changes into subsequent versions of the Plan. Following NPS review and approval, the Contractor shall revise the Draft Plan per the NPS comments.

5. Contractor shall submit one (1) electronic copy of the Final Plan, in both Adobe Acrobat

(pdf) and MS Word formats, to the COR within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving NPS review comments.

6. Contractor shall submit the Final Plan via email to the COR. Contractor shall also submit one

(1) CD or USB and four (4) bound print copies, supporting documentation, photographic evidence, and any accompanying information to the COR. One (1) copy of the Final Plan shall be printed on archival paper to be accessioned to the Park Archives. The CD/USB and print copies may be submitted via USPS mail, FedEx, or UPS delivery services.

Project Task Completion Schedule

Kickoff Meeting/Call 30 days after contract award

Site visit(s) Summer 2022

Submission of Draft Plan to COR 120 days after on-site visit

NPS provides review & comments 30 days after receipt of Draft Plan

Submission of Final Plan to COR 90 days after NPS review/comments

Schedule of Partial Payments

Partial payments will be made upon successful completion of each successive phase of the project work, as outlined below:

Completion of Condition Assessments and Site Visit(s) 50%

Submission of Draft Plan 25%

Acceptance of Final Plan 25%

Selection Criteria

For this project, the survey or condition assessment identifies types of deterioration and areas of concern, extrapolates likely causes, and generates recommendations for preventive conservation treatments and/or necessary repairs. Documenting these issues requires both technical and practical skill sets to understand the mechanics of the problem, as well as a broad understanding of the materials (e.g., stone, bronze, iron).

Selection of the most technically qualified Contractor will be based on the criteria defined below.

Weights are presented in parentheses.

1. Specialized Experience (40%) – Experience in conducting Preventive Conservation Plans or similar planning in other documents (e.g., Condition Assessments on Stone Monuments, Bronze Sculptures and/or Historic Artillery; Collection Management Plans for Art on Outdoor Exhibit, Collection Condition Surveys, etc.).

2. Key Personnel (40%) – Resumes for key personnel shall be provided for review. Key personnel are hereby defined as those employees whose estimated labor hours represent more than 15% of the total labor hour estimate.

3. Past Performance (20%) – Descriptions of at least three (3) similar projects and explanation of the roles the previously identified key personnel fulfilled in these projects. Client points of contact shall be provided to serve as references. The NPS will contact the provided references.