The grant could provide up to $756,200.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is looking to award one cooperative agreement for engineering, survey, design, and construction management services of the long pond. The long pond is located on the former Germania golf course which is now part of the Refuge. The long pond is a former irrigation pond located near the Tittabawassee River and in its current condition has steep vertical walls and provides little to no habitat value and poses a safety concern for visitors to the Refuge. The Service seeks to award this cooperative agreement to an entity that can survey they existing pond, develop a restoration design in collaboration with the Service which will connect the long pond to the Tittabawassee River and soften the existing vertical banks of the long pond. Preliminary estimates show that this may require relocating up to 20,000 cubic yards of earth. This site is located within the floodplain of the Tittabawasee River and the design will require direction and oversight from the Service to ensure that the design complies with all State and Federal wetland/floodplain/clean water act permits. The Service has already held pre-appplication meetings with local, State, and Federal regulators to ensure this project is permitable and complient with existing laws. The awardee will provide a complete set of design plans that will be used by the Service to apply for local, State, and Federal permits. Furthermore, this project will involve removal of several miles of asphalt golf cart paths that run throughout the entire former golf course. Once all permits have been issued the awardee will provide construction management to complete the project. Construction management services will include: Development of a federal procurement compliant bid package and solicitation of bids from sub-contractors to complete the work of the long pond and removal of cart paths. Provide construction management, oversight, and on-site inspections of all aspects of construction to ensure all aspects of the project are built to design specifications. Ensure all contractors wash and clean equipment prior to entering Refuge (as outlined in the design plans) to prevent invasive species spread. Ensure all fuel stored on the Refuge by sub-contractors is compliant with the Service policy for fuel storage and containment. Ensure any damage to existing Refuge infrastructure (roads, trails, signs, gates, observation platforms) are repaired to pre-construction condition (this may include but not limited to road grading and dike repair upon completion of the project). Routinely communicate construction activities, timelines, and any issues that may cause delays with the Service program officer. Provide final survey of project to the Service in an ArcGIS and AutoCAD compatible format. The Service will be substantially involved in this project through the following: Provide all local, state, and federal construction and environmental permits. Provide on-site local knowledge of area and conditions. The Service will work with the awardee and subcontractors to develop a timeline for construction activities that considers: wildlife disturbance, flooding and/or changing river levels, daytime and any proposed night time operations (must be approved in advance), and public use (e.g., hiking trails, observation platforms, and any other public use that may be impacted). The Service will approve all haul routes and the Service must approve roads that can be used by awardee and their subcontractor prior to construction, any requests for alternative routes must be approved in advance. Any organization that would like to see the project area in person much contact the Service program officer listed in the NOFO no later than 10 days prior to the closing of the announcement to schedule a site visit.
