Shot Tower Archeological Survey RFP's
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MEMORANDUM
February 14, 2006
TO:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: RFP for Shot Tower Archeological Survey
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens recommends City Council approval of the
issuance of a Request for Proposal for the Shot Tower Archeological Survey which is
estimated to cost approximately $30,000. The City's 1:1 match will come from the
federal grant and local funds already committed to this project.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
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Michael C. Van Milligen
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Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
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MEMORANDUM
February 15, 2006
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager ~
TO:
SUBJECT: RFP for Shot Tower Archeological Survey
Introduction
This memorandum transmits a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Shot Tower
Archeological Survey, for review and approval by the City Council.
Discussion
The City has committed $200,000 for rehabilitation and interpretation of the Shot Tower
as part of the America's River project at the Port of Dubuque. This City commitment
has been used to leverage a $295,000 Save America's Treasures grant from the
National Park Service and a $100,000 Historic Sites Preservation grant from the State
Historical Society of Iowa for stabilization and rehabilitation of the Shot Tower. In
2005, the City also received a $15,500 Historic Resource Development Program grant
from the State Historical Society of Iowa for the archeological survey required by the
National Park Service. We have estimated that archeological survey of the Shot Tower
will cost approximately $30,000. The City's 1: 1 match will come from the federal grant
and local funds already committed to this project.
Partnerships
loras College has asked to partner with the City to allow students in the Archeology
and Cultural Heritage Interpretation program to participate in the archeological survey.
The existing partnership we have with Central Alternative High School also will involve
students in documenting the archeological survey. In addition, the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources has offered to partner with the City in a Phase II environmental
survey of the Shot Tower to determine if there are possible environmental contaminants
from the lead shot production. IDNR will coordinate work with the selected archeologist.
Recommendation
I recommend that the City Council approve the enclosed RFP for an archeological
survey of the Shot Tower.
Enclosure
THE CiTY OF G~~
DUBUQUE
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CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Dubuque Shot Tower Archeological Investigation
INTRODUCTION
The City of Dubuque, Iowa is soliciting proposals from qualified consulting firms to provide
professional services for the Dubuque Shot Tower Archeological Investigation, in accordance with the
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archeological Documentation.
COMMUNITY BACKGROUND
The City of Dubuque is located on the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa, adjacent to Illinois and
Wisconsin. The City is approximately 30 square miles in area, with a population of approximately
60,000 persons. The City's annual operating and capital budget is over $100 million and funds a full
range of services. The City's web site is www.citvofdubuaue.ora.
The Shot Tower is part of the America's River project of recreational and cultural venues at the Port of
Dubuque. This $188 million project includes the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
and the Grand River Conference and Education Center. These facilities, along with the Grand Harbor
Resort and Waterpark, the Mississippi Riverwalk Recreational Trail, and all its amenities have
become the hottest attractions in the state of Iowa.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The following description is a summary of the Dubuque Shot Tower Project: building form, national
significance, current condition, nature of the threat, and the approved scope of work.
The Dubuque Shot Tower consists of a tapered square-cut masonry hollow column form. The whole
structure stands 120 feet five inches above the current ground level. Seven stories (82'11") are of
Galena Dolemite stone construction, and the uppermost three stories (37'6") are built of soft red brick.
There is strong evidence that some of the originally exposed column base is now buried, as is an
estimated 15-20 feet of stone foundation.
The load-bearing masonry walls are progressively reduced from a base width of three fe!;!t to just one
foot at the top of the tower. The base measures 19'2" square, while the cap measures 12'4" square.
The square interior shaft is a consistently square 13'2" x 13'2".
The structure's exterior walls are of a somewhat varied construction. While each floor level is
provided with four identical rectangular window openings, the majority of which have plain stone
lintels. The three lowermost levels of the stonework utilized stone voussoirs, save for the entrance.
The lintels are set flush while stone sills project beyond the wall plane. A number of the stone lintels
have untrimmed ends, an indication that stone refuse was being used to reduce construction costs.
The stone wall is comprised of small scale white limestone and is laid in a random ashlar manner.
Heavier quoin stones strengthen the corners of the stonework. The brickwork is of varied colors and
is laid in alternating running and rowlock brick courses.
The Dubuque Shot Tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a national
treasure.
The most significant "unknown" involves the foundation supports and the base of the tower. The
HABS-HAER drawings depict seven stone floor levels and further depict a rounded well opening at
the base. The same source depicts and measures a four-stage stone spread footings with a six-feet
width. The drawing however notes "exact condition of footing undetermined." If the HABS team did
indeed have access to the base of the tower and were able to directly describe the reported "well"
then their drawings are accurate. Below is a HABS drawing of the Shot Tower.
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Figure I: Historic American Buildings Survey scaled drawing, 1934
(Library of Congress, HABS-HAER Collection)
Ronald Balmer (IIW, 2001) proposes that some considerable portion of the base is now buried, given
that the original floodplain level as of c.1856 was much lower than is the present-day ground level.
Balmer's hypothesis is driven by varied elevations which are given for the structure. A detailed
description penned in late 1856 gave the elevation as 150 feet, 30 more feet than are to be presently
accounted for. It is highly doubtful that the buildings were able to reach bedrock at this site located in
the middle of the Mississippi River valley. Lacking that support, wood pilings capped with a stone
foundation would have been probable. Obviously hopes for productive historical archeology are
pinned on the presence of these buried floor levels. The present base is filled with flood sediments
and there is no indication of the well described during the 1930s.
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A broad concrete collar was cast around the base of the structure in 1960. It stands about three feet
high and is a foot thick. The base around the tower is recessed. A stone retaining wall encircles the
base in an elongated off center rectangle. The commemorative plaque is above the east door (see
Figure 4 below).
Figure 4: Shot Tower base detail, view to the northwest, August 2002, photo by James Jacobsen
In 1960, the Dock Board approved leaving the area around the tower open for use as a small park.
Subsequent to this the tower gained a cast iron fence, commemorative plaque, and a concrete
foundation circle around its base.
Figure 8: present day appearance of the Shot Tower, view to the southeast
(photo by IIW, 2001)
Page 3
A broad concrete collar was cast around the base of the structure in 1960. It stands about three feet
high and is a foot thick. The base around the tower is recessed. A stone retaining wall encircles the
base in an elongated off center rectangle. The commemorative plaque is above the east door (see
Figure 4 below).
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Figure 4: Shot Tower base detail, view to the northwest, August 2002, photo by James Jacobsen
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In 1960, the Dock Board approved leaving the area around the tower open for use as a small park.
Subsequent to this the tower gained a cast iron fence, commemorative plaque, and a concrete
foundation circle around its base.
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Figure 8: present day appearance of the Shot Tower, view to the southeast
(photo by IIW, 2001)
Page 3
Figure 9: Aerial view of the tower, view to the north (photo by IIW, 2001)
Figure 9 shows the present-day setting of the tower with the Peavey Warehouse in the background.
The corner of the brewery building is visible at lower left, as is the railroad track which runs
immediately south of the tower. Also visible is the 1960 concrete cap and the concrete foundation
circle around its base.
The archeological survey would be limited to two zones:
1. The area between the exterior walls of the Shot Tower foundation and the concrete foundation
circle.
2. The area within the interior walls of the Shot Tower foundation.
The Dubuque Shot Tower was constructed in 1856 to manufacture lead shot ammunition. It is one of
only a few remaining shot towers in the United States, and the only one west of the Mississippi River.
It produced lead shot from 1856-58, and then was closed. It was briefly refurbished for use during the
first year of the Civil War. The Standard Lumber Company used the Shot Tower as a fire watchtower
from the late 1880s until the company was destroyed in the 1911 lumberyard fire. The Shot Tower
stood deserted in its post-fire ruin from 1911 to 1959.
In 1960-61, the tower exterior was tuck-pointed, wooden louvers were placed inside the windows and
concrete sills replaced lost stone sills. The interior walls were coated with a concrete mixture. A
concrete encasement and limestone walls topped with a wrought iron fence were installed around the
base, presumably to protect the tower from the nearby rail cars and semi-tractor trailers. A hatch was
cut in the pre-cast concrete roof and a lightning protection system was installed.
In 2001, the City had a structural assessment made of the Shot Tower. The assessment was
conducted by a local civil engineering firm using a crane service to closely inspect each face of the
tower for the full height. The assessment revealed that there are many areas of damage and
deterioration that need attention to prevent localized failures.
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. .
Figure 9: Aerial view of the tower, view to the north (photo by IIW, 2001)
Figure 9 shows the present-day setting of the tower with the Peavey Warehouse in the background.
The corner of the brewery building is visible at lower left, as is the railroad track which runs
immediately south of the tower. Also visible is the 1960 concrete cap and the concrete foundation
circle around its base.
The archeological survey would be limited to two zones:
1. The area between the exterior walls of the Shot Tower foundation and the concrete foundation
circle.
2. The area within the interior walls of the Shot Tower foundation.
The Dubuque Shot Tower was constructed in 1856 to manufacture lead shot ammunition. It is one of
only a few remaining shot towers in the United States, and the only one west of the Mississippi River.
It produced lead shot from 1856-58, and then was closed. It was briefly refurbished for use during the
first year of the Civil War. The Standard lumber Company used the Shot Tower as a fire watchtower
from the late 1880s until the company was destroyed in the 1911 lumberyard fire. The Shot Tower
stood deserted in its post-fire ruin from 1911 to 1959.
In 1960-61, the tower exterior was tuck-pointed, wooden louvers were placed inside the windows and
concrete sills replaced lost stone sills. The interior walls were coated with a concrete mixture. A
concrete encasement and limestone walls topped with a wrought iron fence were installed around the
base, presumably to protect the tower from the nearby rail cars and semi-tractor trailers. A hatch was
cut in the pre-cast concrete roof and a lightning protection system was installed.
In 2001, the City had a structural assessment made of the Shot Tower. The assessment was
conducted by a local civil engineering firm using a crane service to closely inspect each face of the
tower for the full height. The assessment revealed that there are many areas of damage and
deterioration that need attention to prevent localized failures.
Page 4
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The tower also has suffered damage from birds, with a significant accumulation of bird droppings
found in the interior space, and a number of nest holes bored into the masonry. The accumulation of
bird droppings constitutes a hazard that must be mitigated for public health and stabilization of the
tower.
Construction of a non-combustible interior stairway leading to the top of the tower is needed for
improved maintenance access and increased stability. The 1911 fire destroyed the original wooden
stairway, leaving no ready means to access the tower interior for maintenance and repairs.
In 1991, an empty rail car jumped the tracks of the rail siding west of the Shot Tower, and ran into the
tower. This resulted in a hole through the 33-inch thick limestone wall at the base of the tower. This
damage was repaired by the City of Dubuque. Installation of protective barriers is included in the
project costs to safeguard the Shot Tower from further vehicular damage from rail cars and semi-
tractor trailers that serve the adjacent industrial use.
PROJECT SITE
The Shot Tower is located south of the Peavey Company, a distribution center for commodities
arriving by truck, rail and barge. A location map is enclosed.
The archeological survey in and around the Tower will need to be coordinated with the volume of
truck traffic that passes the Shot Tower on Commercial Street. This truck traffic has seasonal peaks
based on the commodity being shipped.
The Shot Tower is located north and west of the railroad underpass that provides a secondary access
from America's River project at the Port of Dubuque, a multi-million dollar riverfront redevelopment
project. The archeological survey in and around the Tower will need to be coordinated with any
construction or other traffic using the underpass.
SCOPE OF WORK
The City has been awarded a Historic Sites Preservation grant and a Historic Resource Development
Program grant by the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) and a Save America's Treasures grant
from the National Park Service (NPS) for the Shot Tower Rehabilitation Project. The approved scope
of professional archeological services for the Dubuque Shot Tower Project, in accordance with the
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archeological Documentation, includes:
1. Prepare methodology or research plan to be used for implementing any archeological
investigations or ground-breaking activities;
2. Conduct an archeological investigation in and around the Tower;
3. Prepare an Archeological Documentation Report that:
A. Incorporates and discusses the background research about the Shot Tower and any other
identified archaeological information from the area.
B. Presents the methodology and process of investigation.
C. Presents the findings of the archeological investigations. Archaeological Site Forms will be
completed for any identified sites.
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D. Describes the potential impacts to the historic property and any identified significant
archeological sites.
E. Provides management recommendations for the historic property and any identified
significant archeological components.
4. Coordinate the archeological survey with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for a
Phase II environmental survey to determine if there are any residual environmental
contaminants from the historical production of lead shot.
5. Coordinate with Loras College of Dubuque for students in the college's Archeology and
Cultural Heritage Interpretation Program to participate in the archeological investigation.
QUALIFICATIONS OF CONSULTANTS
An archeologist meeting the Secretary of the Interior's professional standards as a historic
archaeologist will be retained by the City to conduct the Dubuque Shot Tower Archeological
Investigation, in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archeological
Documentation and the Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations in Iowa (1999).
A professionally registered engineer or architect will be retained by the City under separate contract to
prepare plans and specifications for rehabilitation work, to coordinate the rehabilitation work with the
archeological investigation, to oversee the rehabilitation work to be performed, and to manage this
work in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties.
A qualified hazardous materials abatement consultant will be retained by the City under separate
contract to remove the bird droppings from inside the Shot Tower.
The selected archeologist will be expected to consult with the City, SHSI and NPS so that the
professional standards and best practices for the archeological investigation will be followed.
The selected archeologist will submit a methodology or research plan to be used for implementing any
archeological investigations or ground-breaking activities to the City, NPS and SHPO for review and
approval for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Archeological
Documentation and the Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations in Iowa (1999) prior to beginning
such work on the property.
The selected archeologist will submit an Archeological Documentation Report that addresses the
items discussed above in the Scope of Work to the City, SHSI and NPS for review and approval.
All consultants, contractors, and subcontractors will be selected competitively in accordance with
Federal, State and City requirements.
The City of Dubuque, and all consultants and contractors retained by the City, will comply with Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations under 36 CFR Part 800
prior to the commencement of the archeological and rehabilitation work.
INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN PROPOSAL
To simplify the review process and to obtain the maximum degree of comparability, the proposal shall
include the following information and shall be organized in the manner specified below.
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Letter of Transmittal
Provide a letter of transmittal briefly outlining the consultant's understanding of the work and the
name, address, telephone number and fax number of the consultant's primary contact person.
Profile of Firm
Provide general information about the consultant firm and firm's area of expertise as regards to this
RFP, including the qualifications of the project manager and other key personnel who would be
assigned to this project.
(a) The proposal shall include the name of the anticipated project manager, his or her qualifications
and experience and the names, qualifications and experience of other key personnel who would
be associated with the project.
(b) Name and location of other consulting firms that would be used by your firm in the project; the type
and approximate percentage of the work that would be performed by each of these firms; and the
names, qualifications and experience of their personnel who would be associated with this project.
(c) Experience of the anticipated project manager and other key personnel in performing similar
archeological services for historically significant structures in accordance with the Secretary of the
Interior's Standards for Archeological Documentation and the Guidelines for Archaeological
Investigations in Iowa (1999).
(d) The proposal shall include at least three references of past clients for archeological services on
historically significant structures done in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards
for Archeological Documentation and the Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations in Iowa
(1999). These projects must have been completed within the past five years with the same project
manager, sub-consultants and other key personnel proposed for this project.
(e) The proposal shall discuss the firm's ability to integrate this contract into the present workload.
Scope of Services
Describe the firm's approach to accomplishing the scope of services described above.
Proposed Project Schedule
Provide a project schedule outlining the time period and estimated completion date of the proposed
scope of services.
Fees and Compensation
Provide a proposed cost plus expenses budget for completion of the scope of services with cost
breakdowns. Quotation of fees and compensation shall remain firm for a period of at least 90 days
from the proposed submission deadline. Please separate the proposed budget from the other portion
of the RFP submittal. Initial screening will be done by the selection committee without benefit of
knowing the consultant's proposed fee for services.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
An original plus four (4) copies of the proposal must be received in the Planning Services Department,
50 W. 13th Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001 by 5:00 p.m. CST on 2006.
Each consultant assumes full responsibility for delivery and deposit of the completed proposal
package on or before the deadline. The City of Dubuque is not responsible for any loss or delay with
respect to deliver of the proposals. The City of Dubuque reserves the right to reject any and all
proposals and negotiate changes with any consultant. The City of Dubuque is not liable for the cost
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incurred by any consultant prior to the execution of an agreement or contract. Nor shall the City of
Dubuque be liable for any costs incurred by the consultant that are not specified in any contract. The
City of Dubuque is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
All questions and correspondence regarding this RFP should be directed to David Johnson, Assistant
Planner, Planning Services Department, Dubuque, Iowa, 52001, by telephone at 563-589-4210, by
fax at 563-589-4221, or by email at djohnson@cityofdubuque.org.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be screened to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements of the proposal
format. A review of qualifying proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee. Consultants may
be invited to an interview with the selection committee. Evaluation criteria will include the following:
. Experience and achievements of the firm.
. Qualifications and experience of principal consulting staff or project team on similar projects
involving historically significant structures with work done in accordance with the Secretary of
the Interior's Standards for Archeological Documentation.
. Qualifications and experience of any sub-consultants on similar projects.
. Grasp of project requirements, understanding of project scope and level of interest by
firm/consultant.
. Design approach/methodology in completing the scope of services.
. Approach to communication throughout the project.
. Ability to deliver the products in a timely manner and within budget.
. Proposed schedule to complete the project.
. Proposed cost to complete the project.
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