The City of Mason City is currently taking bids for construction services related to the mothballing of eleven historic structures that have been or will be acquired as a part of our FEMA funded voluntary buyout program.|The City of Mason City is currently taking bids for construction services related to the mothballing of eleven historic structures that have been or will be acquired as a part of our FEMA funded voluntary buyout program.
Sealed bids must be received in the Office of the Deputy City Clerk, Mason City, Iowa, no later than 2:00 o’clock p.m. on Tuesday, December 28, 2010.
According to the Request for Proposals document on the City’s website:
Within 14 days of the City Council’s approval of the contract, the Contractor shall apply appropriate mothballing treatments to the principal structures at these addresses:
– 671 7th St. NE (HVAC and plumbing work has already been completed)
– 655 7th St. NE
– 678 7th St. NE
– 616 8th St. NE
– 733 N. Carolina Ave.
– 721 N. Carolina Pl.
– 726 N. Carolina Pl.
– 615 N. Hampshire Ave.
– 705 N. Hampshire Ave.
– 722 N. Hampshire Ave.
– 726 N. Hampshire Ave.
The RFP notes the following background on the project:
On June 8, 2008, the City of Mason City was inundated by the flood of record. Sixty-five structures were destroyed and over 1,000 others were damaged. The City of Mason City has been awarded funds through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to conduct fourvoluntary acquisition and removal programs aimed at removing flood-damaged and flood-prone
properties in the flood plain.
A survey of the structures identified for acquisition and removal to assess the impact the project will have on historic properties in the city was conducted by Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Staff and FEMA. FEMA, in consultation with the State HistoricalPreservation Office (SHPO) determined that over 40 structures in the project areas wereindividually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or contributing to a National Register eligible Historic District. FEMA and the City negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement that outlines the actions FEMA will take to minimize the adverse impacts the project will causeto the City’s historic properties.
One of the activities identified is the relocation of 11 homes that were identified as either eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or were contributing to a National Historic District. In order to preserve the buildings until such time as they can be relocated, the City has committed to “mothballing” the houses.
The mothballing involves controlling the long-term deterioration of the building while it is unoccupied. This includes securing the building from unwanted entry, providing adequate ventilation to the interior and shutting down or modifying existing utilities. Once the building issecured, the City will perform periodic maintenance and surveillance monitoring. Consequently,
the method used to secure the building must allow access to the building.
