A22 - Attachment J-12 - Statement of Work Appendix 7 - Visitor Center Requirements - 25 Oct. 2023.pdf

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STATEMENT OF WORK – PROJECT SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

APPENDIX 7 – VISITOR CENTER REQUIREMENTS

25 October 2023

General

Federal laws provide that land and water areas of the Department of Army constructed for the primary purpose of flood control, navigation and/or hydropower, are to be administered to encourage and develop all collateral uses such as water supply, public parks and recreation, conservation of fish and wildlife resources, pollution abatement, and other purposes in the public interest. The Administration Building and Visitor Center will support the public’s interests, accomplishment of USACE missions, tell the USACE story, and reveal the meanings of, and relationships between, manmade, natural, cultural, and created environments and their features.

Coralville Lake was completed in 1958 at a cost of $15,744,000. The lake is 23 miles long with a normal storage capacity of 28,100 acre-ft of water. The maximum storage during a flood event is 420,960 acre-

ft. The dam embankment is 1400’ long, 22’ wide and 100’ tall. The dam consists of an earthen structure with a 132’ tall control tower that regulates flow. Inside the control tower are 3 vertical lift gates that are used to adjust outflow. The project also includes a 500’ wide uncontrolled spillway. From 1958 – 2023 Coralville Dam has prevented an estimated $834,115,000 in damages to the local community. And provides some $31M annually in regional economic impacts. (Include any other pertinent flood control features or operations components/procedures, watershed ecosystem information)

The exhibit designer will coordinate with USACE to provide a comprehensive design of the Visitor’s Center to include all functional spaces, display areas, supporting equipment and furnishings, interpretive signs, displays, and interactive features.

Visitor Considerations

Visitors will include people of all ages, first-time visitors, return visitors, family groups and school groups.

They will be interested in exploring the Coralville Visitor Center and must feel welcome to experience the surroundings and hands-on exhibits. The Visitor Center must provide basic information as well as educational opportunities and special events.

The Visitor Center will be classified as Type-B per USACE regulations, which can be found at https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/employees/policy.cfm?Id=visitor-center&Code=All. The Visitor Center requires new exhibits and re-use of existing displays. Universal Accessibility Standards shall be met with the new facility as described in EM 1110-1-400, dated 1 Nov 2004.

The goal for a USACE Type-B Visitor Center is to disseminate information to the visiting public about the USACE, its mission, the project and its facilities, visitor safety, and the geographic area where the project is located. Visitor Center exhibits should convey the story in such a way that the experience will be educational, interactive, enjoyable, and safe.

Considerations for the hearing and visually impaired are required for the exhibits. Provide items that aid in the blind navigating displays and have brail for written text or listening opportunities that allow all visitors the ability to experience the exhibits.

Seasonal visitation surges occur in April and May as schools plan field trips that involve “hands-on” interaction and enhance their students learning experience.

Visitor Flow The general approach to the exhibits and interpretive media proposed for the Coralville’s Visitor Center is to provide three levels of interpretation, each aimed at specific types of visitors:

• The first level would be aimed at the casual visitor who wishes to gain a quick overall understanding of the project and the area, but who is limited in time or interest. This type of visitor should be able to grasp the overall message of the exhibits and interpretive media through the general visual approach, the largest graphic elements and the major titles (Average anticipated length of stay 5-10 minutes).

• The second level would provide additional detail for the more interested visitor, largely achieved by participating with the exhibits, reading major texts or hearing the audio messages and studying some of the more detailed aspects of the presentation (Average anticipated length of stay in building: 10-30 minutes).

• The third level would consist of the more detailed portions of the presentation, including photo captions, labels, artifacts, and other materials (Average anticipated length of stay in building 25-50 minutes).

The three levels of interpretation are to be integrated into a single unified presentation approach, differentiated within by the degree of detail and the degree of interest of the visitor.

Lobby/Reception Area

Visitors will enter the building into the lobby area, from which they may participate in the interpretive exhibit sequence, conference/theatre room and satisfy informational or physical needs.

https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/employees/policy.cfm?Id=visitor-center&Code=All

The lobby area will identify the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the agency responsible for the Coralville’s Visitor Center to include:

• Namesake interpretation

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

• Reception/ Desk(s)

• Interactive Project Map

• Brochure distribution

• Video display current event/opportunities, lake level and tailwater levels, etc.

• Photos of leadership hierarchy

Interpretive Display Themes

Displays should be interactive in nature and may include audio exhibits. These could be motion activated but should not interfere to take away from the others experience within the VC. These could be activated by a headset or even listened to on their cell phones. The exhibits/displays shall be incorporated into the space with features resembling the surrounding area’s natural environment.

Flood Risk Management

The Flood Risk Management Program is one of 8 business lines within the Corps’ Civil Works Mission. The Flood Risk Management Program (FRMP) works across the agency to focus the policies, programs and expertise of USACE toward reducing overall flood risk. This includes the appropriate use and resiliency of structures such as levees and floodwalls, as well as promoting alternatives when other approaches (e.g., land acquisition, flood proofing, etc.) reduce the risk of loss of life, reduce long-term economic damages to the public and private sector, and improve the natural environment.

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental stewardship is one of 4 sub-programs (Stewardship, Compliance, Ecosystem Restoration, and Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program) under the Corps Environment Business Program. The goal of the stewardship program is to manage natural resources for a healthy sustainable condition and to foster healthy lands and waters by balancing public uses and needs. Environmental stewardship includes both passive and proactive management to sustain healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, conserve natural resources such that Corps lands and waters are left in a condition equal to or better than their condition when acquired, and such that those natural and cultural resources are available to serve the needs of present and future generations. Natural resources management activities include compiling natural resource inventories; identifying “special status species” and their habitat; preparing Master Plans, Operational Management Plans and general plans; conducting/implementing stewardship, mitigation or enhancement; protecting natural resources; producing and removing products such as timber, minerals, and agricultural crops where part of a management plan; pollution abatement; out-granting lands in accordance with approved policies; managing pest and invasive species; conducting boundary surveys and marking; shoreline management and managing for cultural and historical resources

Coordinate with USACE to identify a comprehensive list Environmental Stewardship to include:

• Fee Title Land and management classifications

• General Ecosystems

• Flora Management o Forest o Prairie/Grassland

• Fauna Management o Mammals o Birds o Reptiles o Insects

• Fisheries Management o Fish o Amphibians o Mussels

• Invasive Species Management Recreation Program The project is authorized for recreation, providing benefits for visitors pursuing recreational activities including camping, boating, hiking, hunting, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and much more. Recreation opportunities could be advertised through the use of brochures and QR codes to help illustrate the numerous opportunities for both summer and winter activities. We typically attract over 1,000,000 visitors to the project each year. Provide a tremendous boost to the local economy through their recreational spending. We have 11 recreation areas, 7 campgrounds (500 campsites),and 6 public boat ramps.

History

The Natural History and Cultural Exhibits are to be designed by the Designer of Record and/or an Exhibit Designer. An interior rendering of the Visitor Center Exhibit Hall may be submitted as part of this solicitation depicting the interior design concept and color themes.

Displays for Natural Communities include, but may not limited to:

• Devonian Fossil Bed

• Forest communities

• Prairie communities

• Shoreline communities

• Aquatic communities (Iowa River)

• Rare and endangered species

• General Environmental Concepts appropriate to region

• Succession/Sedimentation

• The “Edge Effect”

• Food Chains, Energy Relationships

History of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The Corps traces its origins to 1775, when the Continental Congress organized an army with a chief engineer and two assistants. George Washington appointed early Army officer engineers during America’s war of independence and engineers have served in combat in all subsequent American wars. Despite the Corps’ early beginnings, it wasn’t until 1802 that that the Corps was established as an individually distinct entity, with the early mission being the founding and operating of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Throughout its over 200-year history the Army Corps has played a vital role in the development of national infrastructure and in the overall development of the nation, throughout the 19th century, the Corps built coastal fortifications, surveyed roads and canals, eliminated navigational hazards, explored and mapped the western frontier, and constructed buildings and monuments in the Nation’s capital.

Later in its history, the Corps took on the responsibility of “lead federal flood control agency,” and plays an integral part in providing hydroelectric power and public recreation. Additionally, it has taken on the significant responsibility of becoming a leading first responder during natural disasters.

The Corps’ mission has also expanded to include research and development with respect to water resources, construction, and military activities, and has become a leading environmental preservation and restoration agency. The Army Corps is currently responsible for cultural and natural resource management, the regulation of wetlands, and in aiding in environmental cleanup and restorations at former and currently utilized military sites.

The Corps capacity and responsibility also extends beyond its more civil role. During WWII, it was assigned the task of military construction, which at that time involved building facilities in support of the Army and Air Force. What is more, during the Cold War, Army engineers managed construction programs for America’s allies, and completed large construction programs for NASA and the postal service. Currently, the Corps is also playing an integral part in the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan and supporting vital military infrastructure in the post 9/11 world.

Park Ranger History

We will share our write ups, graphics, etc. as a starting place for the various displays that may be incorporated into the Visitor Center.

We were developing a lab room where kids could (with Ranger supervision) touch and play with things. We had our sand table in there, various animal pelts, bones, antlers, microscope, fossils, geodes, and was working on getting the drowning machine set up.

Previous Visitor Center Flow and Exhibits

Previously, guests were welcomed into the Visitor Center where they were invited into a theatre to watch a 15-minute video on the Devonian Fossil Gorge that was discovered after the 1993 flood. Following the video, visitors entered into the exhibit area to view a timeline dating back 375 million years. Visitors viewed information regarding the Devonian period, view the Dunkleosteus replica, and various fossils that can be found in the gorge. Moving though the time line visitors would transition into the ice age and how the glaciers effected Iowa’s landscape from the plains and the Native Americans of the area with artifacts. Next came the prairie flora and fauna and how the westward expansion changed the prairie landscape. The exhibits ended with a History of the Corps of Engineers. A Candela display covered how the USACE was originated in 1775 when General George Washington was appointed the first Chief of Engineers; the Corps long history and value to the nation; site specific construction of Coralville Lake which led into our missions.

Panels were developed for each mission area to cover the windows to help with light intrusion.

Panels included topics:

• Articles from 2008 flood

• Coralville Dam Control Structure.

• Natural Resource Management Mission

• Veteran’s Trail information with medal shadow box, write up on various honorees.

The following is a list of displays that were salvaged from the previous Visitor Center and can be modernized for re-use.

Interior Displays Dimensions Power Needed (Y/N)

Penny Press 39.5" H x 38" W x 36.25" D Y

Candela Interactive Display Y

Sand Table Y

Microscope Y

Dunkeosteus Replica N

Various fossils from the Devonian gorge N

Compass Plant Root (if still viable) 10 foot tall in a plexiglass case. N

Native American artifacts N

Veterans Trail Medal Shadow box N

Bald Eagle Mount and Case N

Various taxidermized mount N

Dam Cross Section Puzzle N

Antique pump N

Exterior Displays

Crane from control structure N