Government » City Departments » Public Works » Rodney Reservoir Demolition and Park Construction

Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions and answers are from notes taken onsite at Rodney Reservoir during a site visit on September 11, 2023, and received by email prior to Monday, September 18, 2023.

  • 1) Who owns and maintains the space?

    The City of Wilmington Water Department owns the Rodney Reservoir site.

  • 2) Are there safety concerns because of underground water?

    There are no safety concerns due to underground water. Safety concerns center around the roof of the tank. The beams are in fairly good shape, but areas of the roof are not (4 inches thick). The structural evaluation is available on the City of Wilmington website here. The last structural evaluation completed by an engineering firm of the condition of the underground covered water tank was completed in 2006. The evaluation identified structural issues with a portion of the roof of the water tank. The 2006 engineers’ report recommended repairs and provided an estimate for the cost of repairs. There has been no structural evaluation of the condition of the underground water tank since 2006.

    It is a community priority to address overall safety issues at the future site, for example, through design features that support stewardship and programmatic measures.

  • 3) Why was the fence put in?

    The site perimeter fence was installed during the period 2003-2004. At that time, the City announced plans to revitalize the site and open it for public events, but those improvements were never implemented. It was at this time that the music pavilion and the viewing tower were removed as well. In 2010 residents launched a successful effort to create a community garden on the lower portion of the site, restoring some access to the site by members of the public. The interior chain link fence was put in place in 2010-2012 after the City was made aware the roof was unsafe and a threat to public safety.

    Additional information about the community’s efforts to restore public access to the Rodney Reservoir site can be found here.

  • 4) What is the stabilization plan that engineers are using?

    Vincent Carroccia, Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner: "That's why it was fenced off. They were envisioning putting it back in service. Our (City of Wilmington’s) plan was to demo, munch concrete, and grade the site."

    "The Mayor's perspective and Public Works Department’s perspective is that we are moving forward, and with estimated demolition to start in January. The selected Landscape Architect firm will work closely with the City of Wilmington and their demolition plans. The preliminary design requested as a deliverable of this RFP should integrate existing and/or include solutions to address the safety concerns associated with the buried water tank. Some members of the community have advocated for the preliminary design process to be completed before the City proceeds with demolition at the Rodney Reservoir site. It is also the desire of the Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee that the preliminary design inform all future actions the City takes at the site."

  • 5) Does contract award for this project preclude the selected team from participating in later phases of the Rodney Reservoir Park project?

    The PSA for the design phase will not preclude you in engaging in later phases of the project. The selected team should have the capacity to continue through later phases of the Rodney Reservoir Park project. Contracts for additional design work for later phases of the project will be independent of the current RFP process for the development of a preliminary design and budget.

  • 6) Under the proposal submissions requirements, it asks for a timeline, deliverables, and budget. Could you elaborate on what you are looking for in terms of fee? Is a lump sum amount acceptable?

    A lump sum is preferable for the RFP. Costs should be itemized to give details about the proposed activities and workflow. The RFP will be reviewed by the 13-member Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria.

  • 7) Can you please identify the target budget for professional design services for this project?

    Not at this time. The RFP will be reviewed by the 13-member Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria.

  • 8) Is D ’Huy permitted to serve as a structural consultant to design teams, or do they remain a consultant to the City?

    D’Huy will be able to work with the design team. Any work the engineering firm will do on behalf of the selected firm will be handled as a sub consultant to the Landscape Architect.

  • 9) For the submission, are download links to the proposal an acceptable form of submission or must the document be attached to an email and if so, is there a size limit?

    Downloadable links are acceptable. The size limit is 30 GB.

  • 10) The RFP notes the City will provide engineering documents for the existing infrastructure. Will the City provide any survey information and /or will AutoCAD files of the site be available for the selected consultants’ use?

    See attached PDF Rodney Reservoir Survey 2022 and link is provided to view Attachment C – Rodney Street Reservoir Design Drawings.

  • 11) During the site evaluation phase is the selected firm expected to provide any assessment within the safety fence at the top of the site beyond what is visible from the exterior of the fence? If so, can further details on safety precautions be provided.

    The fence is in place because the roof of the structure is not safe. No one is permitted to cross the fence line.

  • 12) Is access to all the University documents prepared for the community charrettes available to the consultant for reference?

    The summary information from the Community Park Design Charette Information was included as an attachment in the RFP. This attachment can be accessed on the City of Wilmington website at https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/11750. 

    At the Community Design Charrette in June residents began to think through the need to balance access, safety, usable space and elevation in the final design. There is strong community support for creating a strong sense of place in the design of the future park. Find more information about the Community Park Design Charrette at: www.greenforthegreatergood.org

    Once the firm is selected and launches the design process, all other documents from the Community Park Design Charrette will be made available to the consultant for reference. It is recommended that the firm will also meet with the organizers of the charrette for more background on and materials resulting from that process.

  • 13) Can you provide some clarification on the level of design desired as an outcome of this process? The RFP notes “preliminary design”. By preliminary design do you mean construction documentation, or concept plans sufficient to develop an accurate cost estimate?

    We are looking for concept plans sufficient to develop an accurate cost estimate.

  • 14) Can you provide any insight on the amount of funds available for this effort, and whether these funds come with any reporting requirements?

    The RFP will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria. There are no reporting requirements at this time.

  • 15) Is there an opportunity to consider retaining the structure, to be repurposed in some way per community interest? If so, was a structural assessment done as part of previous engineering studies.

    A structural engineering report was completed in 2006 and is available on the City of Wilmington website. Please refer to the following link for the condition of the site: https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/city-departments/public-works/rodney-reservoir/demolition

    There is some community support that firms include an engineering component/previous experience in their proposal to determine the condition and constraints of the site in order to inform the design.

  • 16) Is it recommended/expected that a structural engineer be included on the design team to assess the structural integrity of the reservoir?

    If any structural components of the reservoir were retained, it would be up to the consultant design team to determine it was structurally sound.

  • 17) The planning process will include stormwater design/planning. Is it expected that we will include a civil engineer on our team, or is there a civil engineer selected by the city that we would coordinate with?

    Jim Lober, with KCI Technologies, is our civil engineer. It would be the responsibility of the design firm.

    The deliverable for this project is a preliminary design that incorporates community input and identifies any gaps in information that would inhibit the design work. The complexity of the site may require that firms work with the City of Wilmington’s Civil and Structural engineering firms. Additionally, firms with these services in-house or with similar experience working with civil and structural engineers will demonstrate the capacity to develop a design for the future Rodney Reservoir Park.

  • 18) Is there a budget for this phase of the project?

    The RFP will be reviewed by the Rodney Reservoir Advisory committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria.

  • 19) Is there a timeline when you anticipate this work will be completed?

    We anticipate the design phase to be completed by December 31, 2023.

  • 20) How many members of the community do you anticipate will participate in the community engagement meetings?

    We have a thirteen-member advisory committee.

    An expected 100 to 200 people will participate in meetings over the course of the community engagement process. Eighty residents and other stakeholders participated in the design Charette organized earlier this year by the community group Green for the Greater Good.

  • 21) Should we assume a professional cost estimator is on the team?

    As part of the RFP, we are asking that the deliverables include an estimated cost of the proposed design.

  • 22) Mr. Carroccia mentioned that the defunct water tank may be demolished as early as January 2024, but that schedule may be adjusted depending on the design process results. Please provide additional information on what level of documentation the Mayor’s Office requests to inform that decision.

    This would be based upon the design effort and ultimately be the Mayor’s decision to delay demolition.

    There is some community support for any sitework at the Rodney Reservoir, including the demolition of the defunct water tank, to flow from the park design developed through the community design process outlined in this RFP. Residents have asked the City of Wilmington to hold off on demolition, including preparing specifications and bid documents, until the conclusion of the design process outlined in this RFP. Ideally, the preliminary design and cost estimate will represent a strong consensus vision for the future of the Rodney Reservoir that includes significant community input in collaboration with representatives of the City of Wilmington that can serve as the foundation for decision-making about the next steps, including fundraising to make the design a reality.

  • 23) Any concerns for contamination?

    Vince Carroccia, City of Wilmington Public Works Deputy Commissioner: "Verdantas soil samples were taken. A full report completed by independent third-party experts is available on the City of Wilmington website. Elevated levels of Cobalt were found in multiple samples. Additional testing was
    conducted. The cobalt findings do not meet regulatory risk levels. The full recommendations are available in the report located at: https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/city-departments/public-works/rodney-reservoir/environment"

    "The safety of the site is of utmost concern of the Advisory Committee, the City of Wilmington and the community. The City of Wilmington will comply with DNREC, OSHA, and all regulatory entities to evaluate possible contamination. Some members of the community are asking for additional environmental testing, specifically of the concrete water tank and pipe work before demolition due to the fact that the original specs for the construction of the Rodney Reservoir called for the use of coal cinders in the concrete mix and as fill, and for the use of lead in pipe joints."

  • 24) What are the environmental issues?

    Third party environmental companies were hired to conduct an independent assessment and report, available on the City of Wilmington website at: https://www.wilmingtonde.gov/government/city-departments/public-works/rodney-reservoir/environment.

    A total of 19 samples have been taken from around the site. Elevated cobalt was found. Additional site testing was conducted. Recommendations are included in the report. The City is working closely with DNREC on submitting a modified residential risk assessment. After review, DNREC-RS will provide comment on how the soil from the site should be managed.

    Some members of the community are asking for additional environmental testing, specifically of the concrete water tank and pipe work before demolition due to the fact that the original specs for the construction of the Rodney Reservoir called for the use of coal cinders in the concrete mix and as fill, and for the use of lead in pipe joints.

    The safety of the site is of utmost concern of the Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee, the City of Wilmington and the community. The City of Wilmington will comply with DNREC, OSHA, and all regulatory entities to evaluate possible contamination.

  • 25) The scope doesn't include to/through environmental?

    The scope for this RFP does not include any environmental testing or remediation.

    Some members of the community are asking for additional environmental testing, specifically of the concrete water tank and pipe work before demolition due to the fact that the original specs for the construction of the Rodney Reservoir called for the use of coal cinders in the concrete mix and as fill, and for the use of lead in pipe joints.

    The intent of the RFP process is to hire a landscape architect that can develop an understanding of the environmental condition of the site and use this information to inform design choices included in the scope of this project, including during demolition/site work phase.

  • 26) Has the City retained an engineering team for this project that we would be working with? If not, should we include an engineering subconsultant for Civil and Structural services as part of our fee proposal?

    Yes. The City has retained D’Huy Engineering for Civil and Structural engineering services.

    The deliverable for this project is a preliminary design that incorporates community input and identifies any gaps in information that would inhibit the design work. The complexity of the site may require that firms work with the City of Wilmington’s Civil and Structural engineering firms. Additionally, firms with these services in-house or with similar experience working with civil and structural engineers will demonstrate the capacity to develop a design for the future Rodney Reservoir Park.

  • 27) Did the City hire engineering firms for the past reservoir demolition plans? Please detail capacity to work with these firms and the City in resolving water tank and site related issues on Page 2 of the proposal.?

    Yes. The City has retained D’Huy Engineering for Civil and Structural engineering services.

    The deliverable for this project is a preliminary design that incorporates community input and identifies any gaps in information that would inhibit the design work. The complexity of the site may require that firms work with the City of Wilmington’s Civil and Structural engineering firms. Additionally, firms with these services in-house or with similar experience working with civil and structural engineers will demonstrate the capacity to develop a design for the future Rodney Reservoir Park.

  • 28) Is it anticipated the reservoir will be demolished per previous planning (and funding)?

    Yes, the Mayor would like the demolition of the site to begin as soon as possible. The anticipated start date is in January.

    Residents have asked the City of Wilmington to hold off on demolition, including preparing specifications and bid documents, until the conclusion of the design process outlined in this RFP.

  • 29) What is the selection process?

    The 13-member Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee, appointed by the Mayor, and made up of residents, community leaders, and City of Wilmington officials, will select three or four firms for interviews, ideally from October 18 to 23. The Committee will then immediately vote to select the firm for hire.