2019.04.22 Council Agenda Item 20
Summary
Order to authorize the Town Manager to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a person or team of persons to perform a feasibility study for building moving, renovation , and/or redevelopment or adaptive reuse services for the Tidewater Farmhouse and Barn structures located in the Tidewater Master Planned Development District.
A public comment period will be included with this item (3 minutes per person).
ACTION: Council action is anticipated.
Description
Background
The Town has recently purchased developable land located within the Tidewater Master Planned neighborhood. One of the parcels, shown as TF2 on the Tidewater Master Plan, contains the original Tidewater Farmhouse and Barn. Both buildings are currently vacant and in a state of significant disrepair. The Town has an agreement with the Falmouth Land Trust (“Trust”) to acquire the TF2 parcel and other property. The Trust has an interest to develop a new Trust headquarters on the TF2 parcel once the existing farmhouse and barn structures have been removed by the Town.
The Falmouth Historical Society organized a recent tour of the two buildings. The Council has since expressed interest to find out if it is feasible to salvage these buildings either by moving them to other location(s) and renovating them, or possibly by renovating them in place and repurposing them. The Town remains committed to partnering with the Falmouth Land Trust to locate a new headquarters at the TF2 parcel, which will make renovation of the two buildings in place a challenge. Neither the Town nor the Trust have the expertise to undertake such a renovation project and is seeking assistance from interested and qualified parties.
Current Status
The Town is seeking interested and qualified parties to submit qualifications to renovate the two buildings and identify conceptual visions and terms that would be necessary to complete the renovation of the Tidewater Farmhouse and Barn. Qualification statements should include considerations for assessing the feasibility for (1) building moving, (2) renovation, and/or (3) adaptive reuse of these structures.
A draft Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is attached. The purpose of this RFQ is to determine who is interested and professionally qualified to perform the work. The Town reserves the right to enter into a contract, subsequent to this RFQ. Maine Preservation has been asked to provide any comments or feedback on the draft RFQ, but no comments have been received by April 17, 2019.
