HomeMy WebLinkAboutQuestions about RFPHistoric Preservation Policy & Local Landmark Program Questions and Answers
This page will be updated as questions arise. This was updated on December 14. Questions can be
received until December 23.
Timeline & Scope
• What is the expected timeline?
o It would be ideal if the overall project was wrapped up by Summer 2024. We would love
to have a community outreach kick off in the spring as we have Preservation month in
May. We are open to hearing from consultants an estimated timeline based on scope.
• Is the project budget the total for Phase I and Phase II?
o Yes
• Why is Phase 2 conditional? Does that mean there would be a second RFP to hire for Phase 2?
o Both phases are part of this RFP. Phase 2 is conditional depending on how outreach
goes and the City Commission’s input on Phase 1. Based on conversations with
management and some of our commissioners, it is expected that Phase 2 will happen as
it is laid out because we all know the policy needs to change.
• How do you think a Local Landmark Program would differ in scope and intent from the
conservation district? Is it possible to amend the conservation district program or its guidelines
to address new priorities?
o The NCOD doesn’t have a local landmark program in which the City can designate a
landmark that is significant to the community but not on the National Register. Similar
to places like Denver and Seattle, it would be another tool for recognizing and
preserving cultural resources. As great as the NCOD has been in some regards, it needs
to be updated as there are neighborhoods and resources outside of it that could be
considered historically significant. Internally as staff and within the NCOD Policy Report,
there has been discussion about amending the district to better reflect community goals
and represent our history.
City Involvement
• What is the anticipated involvement of the commission vs the staff? Who would we primarily be
working with? Would we engage with the commission at certain touchstones of the project in
addition to outreach at the beginning of the project?
o You would be primarily working with the Historic Preservation Officer (Sarah Rosenberg)
and engaging with City Commission along the way either through FYI sessions or work
sessions. Eventually, when policy would be heard, it would be an action item that the
City Commission would formally adopt. The City will work with the consultant along the
way with the scheduling and expectations of these meetings.
• What is the Historic Preservation Officer’s current role in the UDC Update process?
o As part of the Community Development Department staff, the HPO is involved with the
team in conversations about changing the code to give feedback to the consultants. The
HPO also gives insight to the consultants when they have questions in regards to the HP
Program.
Community Outreach
• How many outreach and engagement opportunities are anticipated? In-person vs.
virtual? What capacity does staff have to assist with outreach throughout the process?
o We don’t have a specific number of engagement opportunities in mind. For outreach,
the main goal is to ensure we get as many voices to the table as we can. The City has
experience with both in-person and virtual meetings/engagement efforts and we have a
Communications Team who can help with the outreach. We are looking to the
consultant to help with framing the engagement, posing the points of discussion, and
getting input.
• Is there a community engagement team that would be working alongside us (and the Historic
Preservation Officer) in this project to ensure our engagement approach conforms to city policy?
o Yes, we have a Community Engagement Division that includes two staff – one manager
and one coordinator who would work with us.
• In order to design and conduct a robust engagement approach, we rely on staff’s knowledge of
community organizations and individuals, as well as existing events and other engagement
opportunities that we might take advantage of. Does City staff have the time and capacity to
work with us to identify these and to help cultivate and steward community relationships?
o Absolutely! We would love to make the most of events that happen around town in
which we could get the community engaged. There has also been discussion about
doing a City Project Open House to invite the community to see the projects we are
working on which would include this one.
• How has the UDC project engaged the community thus far? Will we be able to learn from their
experience and findings and/or will there be opportunities to partner in outreach activities to
avoid community outreach fatigue?
o Yes, this has been a point of discussion and as stated above, there are quite a few City
Projects underway. We hope that we can collaborate with other City projects to do
some sort of Open House(s) to inform the community of what is happening. The UDC
has been having some successful community outreach thus far and the Engage Bozeman
helps with this. We also want the group we hire to be able to talk to Code Studio (they
have agreed) about their takeaways from the project and outreach.
• The City’s 2021 Community Engagement Plan defines four levels of engagement – consult,
involve, collaborate, and empower. What level of community engagement does the City
anticipate for this project?
o Based on the plan, we welcome hearing from the consultant what they suggest.
However, at the early stages of the planning process, we will work together to create a
community engagement initiative for this project based on this plan.
Proposal Requirements
• Could you clarify between c. Scope of Project and f. Description of Proposed Solution?
o (C)Scope is what you expect to accomplish as in a summary of it. (F) Description is the
specifics of the project.
• Could you also specify what you would like included in l. Training?
o We are wondering if your firm has any training qualifications that helps you with
achieving this project.
• Can any of these sections be combined?
o Please do not combine the sections. However, if you cover something in another
section, you can say it’s stated in whatever relevant section it is in (i.e. Firm Bio also
includes training)