DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
DCM: Bryan Langley
DATE: April 4, 2017
SUBJECT
Title
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding monument assessment and restoration/preservation services at Oakwood and IOOF cemeteries.
Body
BACKGROUND
On March 22, 2016, Parks and Recreation staff received direction from City Council to identify funding in the 2016-17 budget for general enhancements to the City’s two cemeteries. After staff reviewed the scope of the project, the work was determined to be of a highly specialized and technical nature which is beyond staff’s capabilities and the department’s resources. Therefore, staff submitted a supplemental budget package which was approved in FY 2016-17 for one-time funding in the amount of $152,596 for a cemetery mapping and assessment study.
Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1857, and has been city-owned since 1931. IOOF Cemetery was established in 1860, and has been city-owned since 1933. The City inherited both cemeteries with incomplete and missing records due to subsequent fires in 1875 and 1914.
The budget for Oakwood and IOOF includes funding for mowing and backfilling of graves. There is currently no funding to repair dilapidated monuments at either cemetery and the mausoleums at IOOF. In addition, there is a need to restore incomplete records and mapping to identify division and block markers at both locations.
As a result, RFP 6294 was sent to 10 prospective suppliers. In addition, specifications were placed on the Materials Management website for prospective suppliers to download, and advertised in the local newspaper. Due to the highly specialized nature of this service, only one (1) responsive proposal was received. The responsive bid came from the only business who performs this work in the Southern United States. The proposal was evaluated based upon published criteria including price, delivery, compliance with specifications, and indicators of probable performance.
Services to be performed under this RFP for Oakwood and IOOF cemeteries include:
• $79,872 for the preparation of a detailed GPS/GIS map, including a Computer Aided Design (CAD) digital database of all monuments, gravesites, crypts, roads, fences, and any other permanent landmarks that provide location awareness to an accuracy of plus or minus 4 inches. The two cemeteries encompass 38 acres of land and over 10,000 burial sites with approximately 3000 of those being unmarked/unknown sites. Due to frequent citizen inquiries, staff need to know who is buried in the cemeteries and where the burial sites are located. Currently, when inquiries are received, staff is required to walk the site in an attempt to find a gravesite since there are no formal records.
• $57,060 for an assessment of all monuments to evaluate condition and provide a priority-based repair schedule.
The total amount for the above-described services is $136,932. Since the budget for this project is $152,596, additional funding in the amount of $15,664 is available to be used to restore some cemetery monuments and install division markers. Below are some common pricing for these types of services which have been quoted as part of the response to the RFP.
• $1,752 Installation of stainless steel division markers at Oakwood
• $708 Installation of stainless steel block markers at IOOF
• $665 Monument repair and/or restoration at Oakwood
• $687 Monument repair and/or restoration at IOOF
• $1,400 Restoration work to lawn crypts at Oakwood
• $120,000 Restoration work to mausoleums at IOOF Cemetery.
A complete list of additional services available are included in Exhibit 1. Staff proposes to complete the mapping and assessment study first in order to catalog and prioritize repairs. Once the study is complete, staff recommends the remainder of the funding ($15,664) be dedicated to repairing the monuments and structures identified as the highest priority items.
As an alternative, City Council can direct staff to use the approved funding exclusively for monument repair and restoration. If directed to proceed in this fashion, staff recommends repair work to the most deteriorated mausoleums in the Northwest quadrant of the old IOOF cemetery, near Highland Street. These repairs are expected to cost approximately $120,000 and the remainder of the funds can be used to facilitate repairs of the largest monuments that pose the most safety hazards.
STRATEGIC PLAN RELATIONSHIP
The City of Denton’s Strategic Plan is an action-oriented road map that will help the City achieve its vision. The foundation for the plan is the five long-term Key Focus Areas (KFA): Organizational Excellence; Public Infrastructure; Economic Development; Safe, Liveable, and Family-Friendly Community; and Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship. While individual items may support multiple KFAs, this specific City Council agenda item contributes most directly to the following KFA and goal:
Related Key Focus Area: Safe, Liveable & Family-Friendly Community
Related Goal: Provide and support outstanding leisure, cultural, and educational opportunities.
EXHIBITS
1. Texas Cemetery Restoration LLC Service Proposal Pricing
2. Presentation
Respectfully submitted:
Emerson Vorel
Director of Parks and Recreation