Public Art – Grounds Maintenance

Request for proposals: King County Public Art Collection grounds maintenance at historic earthwork sites

OPPORTUNITY

4Culture, the Cultural Development Authority of King County, is seeking an independent contractor (individual or firm) to provide grounds maintenance services for two artist-designed earthworks stewarded by 4Culture and belonging to the King County Public Art Collection.

PROJECT LOCATIONS

Site 1: Johnson Pit #30 is a 3.7-acre earthwork created in 1979 by the internationally renowned artist Robert Morris (1931-2018). The site is located at 21610 37th Pl S, SeaTac, WA. Additional information and photographs can be found on 4Culture’s website.

The selected contractor’s grounds keeping responsibilities at Johnson Pit #30 include the parking lot, the small upper lawn area adjacent to the parking lot, and the earthwork itself. All proposals must encompass the following work items:

  • Empty trash containers in parking area three times weekly.
  • Clear litter from the walking paths, the lower area of the earthwork’s pit, and the surrounding landscape once weekly.
  • Sweep or blow parking area to remove debris twice monthly.
  • Inspect and clear drain located at the bottom of the pit quarterly.
  • Conduct comprehensive lawn care including seeding, mowing, weed-whacking, edging and trimming quarterly (spring, early & mid-summer, fall).
  • Mow upper lawn area (adjacent to the parking lot) monthly during growing season.
  • Remove invasive and volunteer plants annually in late fall/early spring per King County’s Best Management Practices for noxious weed control.
  • Cut down saplings along the fence line once annually.
  • Report any criminal activity and/or property damage immediately to 4Culture, SeaTac Police, and King County Sherriff. File police reports as needed.
  • Communicate special concerns, issues, vandalism or unusual activity at the site to 4Culture staff.

Site 2: Pillow Field was created in 2010 by artists Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot. Located in White Center, WA at 12th Ave SW and SW 98th Street, the earthwork consists of a 16,000 square foot hillside with 227 earthen mounds planted with creeping thyme. The mounds frame a concrete staircase containing integrated planters of ornamental grasses. The site connects the neighborhood to public services and housing at the Greenbridge development. Additional information and photographs can be found on the artists’ website.

The selected contractor’s grounds keeping responsibilities at Pillow Field will be limited to maintaining the area of earthen mounds within the metal perimeter of the earthwork, plus care of the planter boxes interspersed along the stairway. All proposals must include the following work items:

  • Clear litter from the thyme mounds and planter boxes weekly.
  • Conduct comprehensive site care including weeing, removal of invasive plants and encroaching blackberries and saplings, limbing-up overgrown cottonwood trees, and maintaining the perimeter shape of earthwork on a quarterly basis (spring, early, and mid-summer, fall) per King County’s Best Management Practices for noxious weed control.
  • Monitor the automatic sprinkler system (adjust flow if necessary) during the dry season. Check for exposed or damaged soaker hoses; cover exposed soaker hoses and make repairs as needed. Turn on/off (at vault) to activate and winterize.
  • Remove leaves from around mounds during the dry season, they are a fire hazard. (During the wet winter months, organic materials can remain on mounds as mulch).
  • Hand water top of earthen mounds during extremely dry/hot weather.
  • Replace jute mat, spread mulch topcoat in areas of damage or erosion, replace creeping thyme and ornamental grasses where and when needed (estimate should be inclusive of funds to cover the cost of plant and material purchases).
  • Report any criminal activity and/or property damage immediately to 4Culture, Seattle Police, and King County Sherriff. File police reports as needed.
  • Communicate special concerns, issues, vandalism or unusual activity at the site to 4Culture staff.

TO APPLY

All interested contractors must submit the following materials by the deadline in order to be considered for the work:

  1. Letter of Interest listing qualifications and relevant experience.
  2. Fee for Service (annually) to fulfill the requirements of all task items listed in this Request for Proposals (RFP).
  3. 3 professional references - names and contact information (phone and email).
  4. Proof of Automobile and Liability Insurance that meets the limits and specifications outlined below.

4Culture will award this annual contract to the candidate deemed best suited for the job based on the following criteria: fee for service, qualifications and past experience, results of reference check. 4Culture reserves the right to select no contractor from the responses submitted.

4Culture also reserves the right to extend the contract and negotiate with the selected contractor to provide the required services for up to three years. The decision to extend the contract will be at 4Culture’s sole discretion.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS

Submit proposal materials no later than Thursday, September 5, 2019 by 5:00 pm PDT to Jordan Howland at jordan.howland@4culture.org. Please contact Jordan with any questions.

4Culture is committed to upholding and promoting equal opportunity in employment. We recognize that diverse perspectives, ideas, cultures, and life experiences of all employees are critical to our success. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects our residents, meets the needs of the communities we serve, and leverages the power of our employee's individual uniqueness. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to creed, age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical handicap, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability unless such limitations are necessary for the performance of the role and no less discriminatory alternatives are available.

This information is available in alternative format for people with disabilities. TTY Relay: 711

REQUIRED INSURANCE

The Contractor shall pay for the costs of the required insurance and must furnish certificates of insurance and policy endorsements as evidence of compliance. The minimum scope and minimum limits of insurance required by this contract are as follows:

  • COMMERCIAL GENERAL LIABILITY: $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence by bodily injury, personal injury and property damage. Policy must name 4Culture and King County, its officers, agents and employees as additional insured.
  • AUTOMOBILE LIABILITY: Minimum Coverage as required by the State of Washington.
  • WORKERS COMPENSATION: Coverage as required by the Industrial Insurance Act of the State of Washington.