Trail Construction in Kerrtown
The board of directors of French Creek Recreational Trails, Inc. seeks proposals from qualified contractors to provide services for construction of a recreational trail located in Kerrtown, Vernon Township, PA.
E-mailed bids were due by 10:00 AM on Friday, June 12th, 2020.
| Document Name | Date Published |
| Kerrtown Trail RFP | May 26, 2020, 11:30 AM |
| Google Earth Paths Showing Trail Location | June 4, 2020, 11:46 AM |
| Addendum 1 | June 5, 2020, 12:17 PM |
| Photos Taken June 11th | June 11, 2020, 1:00 PM |
| Question | Answer |
| Is there any asphalt paving on this project? | There is no asphalt paving as part of this project. However, Add Alternate 1 specifies the use of a paving machine to place the limestone dust topcoat in an evenly distributed layer. |
| Would it be possible to change the width of the infiltration trench if cross section area remains the same, IE can I make it 16” wide and 18” deep? | The dimensions of the infiltration trench can be adjusted, provided that the cross sectional area is not reduced. 16”x18” is a reasonable adjustment. |
| Does the entire trail have geotextile material under it. If the infiltration trench option is chosen will we be digging through the geotextile? | The entire trail has geotextile underneath it already. It is anticipated that the stormwater BMPs would be constructed in the soil adjacent to the existing trail roadbed, and thus it is unlikely that very much if any geotextile would be encountered during construction of the stormwater BMPs. If the existing trail subbase is wider than 11’, FCRT does not require the contractor to remove part of the subbase in order to construct the BMP at the precise offset from centerline as specified in the drawings. Rather, the contractor should simply construct the BMP adjacent to the subbase, unless the installed subbase is excessively wide, or there are reasons to remove part of the subbase, such as if adjacent structures (such as the white fence) limit the usable area. |
| I don’t know if I am missing it but is there a detail of specification for the “limestone dust” placement. I see that it is stated to be 3”, is that before or after compaction and I am assuming that is 8’ wide. | There is no detail for the limestone dust placement. As specified in the Scope of Work, the dust shall be placed in an 8’ wide 4” deep lift using a paver and then rolled to a finished depth of 3”. |
| There is a note stating that it is “not desirable” to leave excavated soil on site, that would probably reduce the price of the infiltration trench if excavated materials were allowed to be windrowed and spread on site. Does “not desirable” mean that we absolutely have to haul all the material to Powell’s or a stock yard? | The Deiss and Halmi construction documents provide the following relevant statements: “Excess excavated fill shall be used as fill in a non-wetland upland area.” “Fill material shall not be placed within 50’ of the top of stream banks.” “What topsoil is available on site will be redistributed on areas to be seeded.” Bear in mind that FCRT’s easement is generally 30’ wide, and thus we are limited for area where excess topsoil can be distributed. It is impractical to appropriately distribute the entire amount of topsoil that will be removed, in these narrow areas adjacent to the trail and associated BMPs. In practice, this means that the hill area near Henderson Ave which contains the “legacy soils” is suitable only as an area to spread these legacy soils, and would not be able to accept additional topsoil from other sections of the trail. Therefore, while an incidental amount of topsoil may be spread alongside the entire length of the trail, it will be necessary to remove the majority of the topsoil. Unless the bidder has a use for the topsoil and wishes to keep it, Powell’s Construction in Meadville (814-333-3191) has offered to remove topsoil (but not any material containing the “legacy soil”) at no charge. Powell’s will send a dump truck and loader and will load and remove topsoil from the site. The bidder is required to consolidate the topsoil into conveniently-sized piles along the trail. Powell’s will not drive their loader up and down the trail scooping small amounts of topsoil from where it was dug out—they need it in piles big enough to fill a dump truck so that they can load expeditiously. In practice, this means that topsoil will need to be stockpiled in about five locations: 1 for segment AB, 2 for segment EF, and 2 for segment FH (most of the soil from segments CD, BD, and DE is a “legacy soil” and shall remain on site). It is the bidder’s responsibility to coordinate with Powell’s, provide finish grading after removal of the dirt, and seed all disturbed areas. |
| On what basis will you award the project? Whoever has the lowest base bid? Or, best value, based on pricing that allows the most work to be completed with consideration given to past work experience? Or something else? | FCRT will compare the bids based on best value which will include: • Bidders’ experience and qualifications (A bidder without demonstrated experience or qualifications applicable to this work may be deemed to be non-responsive by FCRT) • Maximum amount of trail that can be completed (Base Bid plus Alternate 1), within stated budget in RFP • FCRT reserves the right to reject all bids if deemed in their best interest |
As of 6/10/2020, the deadline for submitting questions has passed.
