Request for Proposals Landscape Architectural and Community Engagement Services for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Park Playground Project at 4055 Nicollet Avenue S Revised – February 21, 2013
Release Date: February 15, 2013
Due: 12:00 pm CST Wednesday, March 6, 2013
I. PROPOSAL OVERVIEW
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is seeking a highly qualified firm with proven success in urban design, coordination with artists, landscape architecture and community engagement with diverse communities to design a new playground at Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Park that celebrates and honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and African American history.
The full information regarding proposals can be found here:Â http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1188
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The park, originally named Nicollet Field, was renamed to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on October 9, 1968 after the civil rights leader who was assassinated earlier that year. Since being renamed for Dr. King, honoring the late civil rights leader and African American History has been a focus of the park’s facilities, services and programs. The park hosts an annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day celebration, is the home of Freedom Form No. 2 (one of the first public major public memorials to Dr. King Jr after his assassination), and has the Legacy Council that focuses on integrating Dr. King and his teachings into the park’s programming and infrastructure improvements.
Celebrating and honoring Dr. King and African American history is a guiding theme for the park and is reflected in the most recent concept plan for the park (see Attachment A for map of park and Attachment B for concept plan). The MPRB has allocated $225,000 for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Park playground. To bring this theme to life within the playground design, the MPRB intends to include an artist on the design team. This will be a new approach to playground design for the MPRB. The artist will work collaboratively with a diverse community, project consultant and MPRB staff to throughout the playground design process. Elements of a playground may include customized play equipment, or stand- alone artworks that double as play equipment and must meet current safety and accessibility standards. This enhanced design process is anticipated to produce a one-of-a-kind play experience that challenges children and helps tell a story of our collective history.
A typical playground and site improvement project for the MPRB consists of reconfiguring of playground containers (both pre-K and elementary age) as needed and replacing the play equipment. As the budget allows, additional amenities such as refurbishing of walkways, picnic tables, benches, lighting improvements, landscaping, drinking fountains, etc. would be prioritized by the community and included in the project. For this project, the MPRB seeks schematic design, community engagement, construction documentation and construction administration services for the project to:
- Create with a diverse community, artist and playground manufacture a playground design that celebrates and honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and African American History.
- Coordinate with the playground manufacture to ensure custom equipment meetings safety and accessibility standards.
- Build a one-of-a-kind playground that challenges youth while enhancing their awareness of our collective history.
The Proposer’s response to this RFP shall be presented to the Project Manager by the date and time stated in the schedule below. Any communications and/or inquiries by a bidder during this RFP process must be submitted in writing to the individual and address stated below. To the extent the Project Manager determines, in her sole discretion, to respond to any communications and/or inquiries, such responses will be made in writing and mailed and/or transmitted by email to all bidders.
Project Manager: Jennifer Ringold, Manager of Public Engagement and Citywide Planning Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, 2117 West River Road N Minneapolis, MN 55411-2227 or via email at Â