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FAQ

What happened to cause the road failure?

The City is working with DuBois & King engineers to conduct studies of the soils and ground water conditions to understand what happened. Testing will begin the end of July and take approximately 8 weeks.  We know

How was the Engineering Firm Selected?

The City requested statements of qualifications and received responses from the following firms: CES Inc, DuBois & King Inc, Sewall, and VHB. Information provided by the firms was reviewed by a selection committee consisting of two City Council members (one of these also represented the Caribou Utilities District), the City Manager, Public Works Director, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Chief Building Official. The selection committee chose DuBois & King and VHB to provide additional materials for consideration and interviews. After the interviews, it was determined that both firms met the selection criteria equally. They were then asked to submit a bid for services. DuBois & King provided the low bid. The City Council approved entering into a contract with DuBois & King during their July 9 meeting.

How much is this project going to cost?

The contract with DuBois & King is for $59,482. This will pay for investigative work to understand what is needed to repair the road and mitigate future land slide issues. The contract amount does not include designing the repair or construction. It has been estimated that the total project will cost between $1.5 Million and $2 Million.

How long will this take?

It is anticipated that design will take approximately 6 months. Any investigative work should be completed by October 15, 2018 to avoid winter cover conditions. We believe most design (concept to final) and related coordination efforts will take place in the winter. If funding can be obtained, construction work will begin in the spring of 2019.

How will this affect utilities in the area?

The city has been in contact with Consolidated Communications, OTT Communications, Pioneer Broadband, Spectrum – Time Warner Cable, the Caribou Utilities District and EMERA Maine.  During the design phase of this project, DuBois & King will coordinate with each company to address infrastructure issues.

Will you do anything this year with construction to stop the bleeding before repair work begins?

No. We will likely move the property owners to assure their safety and then let whatever happens, happen.

Have there been changes to land uses or the built environment that may have contributed to the failure?

Aside from the five homes immediately east of the road, the area lands have agricultural uses. There have been no significant alterations or additions of impermeable surfaces nor facilities used to increase permeability around the road. The only known change was the construction of a diversion ditch along the agricultural boundaries behind the homes.

Would the city consider permanent closure of the road?

Closure of the road is one of the options that will be considered, however, due to public safety standards and impacts to utilities, preliminary estimates indicate the cost to close the road will nearly be the same as fixing the road.

Has the road always been in its current location and elevation?

Yes, as far as public records can determine.

What is the size of the sewer line along the River Road?

8″ pvc installed in 1984. It is part force main and part gravity line and lies 4-6’ deep under the road.

How will the city address issues the length of River Road?

The city will continue to monitor the length of River Road and address issues as they arise. Investigating the causes for failure of this segment of River Road will provide better insight to future proactive repairs and maintenance along the road.

When will actual construction begin?

This is unknown. Only investigative work is being done now to help understand the cause of the problem. Designing a fix will take approximately three months. The design will include a cost estimate for the work which is necessary to seek funding options. This will be a major point of discussion as the 2019 budget is prepared.

How will snow plowing be handled this winter?

Snow plows will continue to plow the River Road. Trucks will have to avoid the closed portion of the road, which will cause delays in service.


Can interested firms visit the site?

Interested firms may visit the site at their own risk. No vehicular traffic is currently allowed on the road except for residents within the barricaded area. Anyone visiting the area must stay on the asphalted road area. Adjacent property owners are willing to work with the city, but they have not yet granted written permission to access their lands for project investigations.

Who needs to attend the mandatory pre-submittal meeting?

We are not expecting an entire team or project lead to be present at the mandatory pre-submittal meeting. We recognize that interested firms may have prior commitments and time constraints that interfere with their ability to attend. It is expected that a representative of the firm or team that will be submitting the proposal will be in attendance to hear explanations or responses to questions and gain on-the-ground knowledge of the project and client interests.

Is there any specified design timeframe for the project?

It is anticipated that design will take approximately 6 months. Any investigative work should be completed by October 15, 2018 to avoid winter cover conditions. We believe most design (concept to final) and related coordination efforts will take place in the winter with construction work beginning in the spring of 2019.

Have there been other companies already looking at this with the experience specified in the RFQ?

Jan Murchison, of Sewell, provided a high-level cost estimate to repair the road for the city’s FEMA request (see attached email). There has been no other work or investigation provided for the project.

Where did the 2.2M number come from for the construction cost estimate?

The $2.2 Million was set, knowing that most firms will base their design and administration fees as a percentage of project cost. We wanted to make sure all firms were using the same number from which to calculate their fees. The $2.2 Million is based on two factors; 1) Information provided by Jan Murchison of Sewell and 2) a local contractor that helped the city with a similar road repair project in 2015 provided a cost estimate of $2.5 Million to repair the road.

Who was the local contractor the city worked with for the $2.5Million estimate?

Soderberg Construction

What is the funding status from FEMA?

FEMA visited the site on May 21 to confirm cost estimates. We are waiting to hear back from them if the thresholds have been met. We anticipate confirmation will take place before June 7. (5/30/2018)

Is the fee not expected until the interview or does it need to be submitted with the package?

No fees are due with the initial submittal. If called back for an interview, then the fees will be expected at that time.

Are you able to accept a front and back cover with the eight page submittal?

If the cover page just has your logo and basic information, that would be ok.

Are there existing utilities now, water and sewer?

Yes. The Caribou Utility District has water and sewer along the east side of the road.

What do you mean with the 3D visualizations and renderings in Task 3? Are you looking for an isometric view of what’s going on or just a plan and profile?

We are looking for something that will help the stakeholder group have a better understanding of the concept options. This does not need to include a fly-through presentation but should be an illustration to help the lay person visualize potential ramifications.

Will you do anything this year with construction to stop the bleeding before repair work begins?

No. We will likely move the property owners to assure their safety and then let whatever happens, happen.

Can I get a copy of the sign in sheet?

Yes. It will be sent out to all who attended and posted on the city’s website.

How should additional questions be submitted to the city?

Please provide questions in writing. Firms will not be allowed to meet one on one with the project manager.

Have there been changes to land uses or the built environment that may have contributed to the failure?

Aside from the five homes immediately east of the road, the area lands have agricultural uses. There have been no significant alterations or additions of impermeable surfaces nor facilities used to increase permeability around the road. The only known change was the construction of a diversion ditch along the agricultural boundaries behind the homes.

Would the city consider permanent closure of the road?

Yes, but at the same time we recognize that over 50 single family homes and a 14 unit trailer home park would then have only a single access route (over 2 miles long) which could jeopardize the inhabitant’s safety in emergency situations.

Will the Dr. Chomka allow access to the property for core sampling and vehicles?

Dr. Chomka is concerned that her property not be disturbed in such a way that passersby would visibly find access onto her ground. If a large apparatus is necessary for testing, a remediation plan will likely need to be approved by the land owner before work begins.

Has the road always been in its current location and elevation?

Yes, as far as public records can determine.

What is the size of the sewer line along the River Road?

8″ pvc installed 1984

The Introduction on p4 states that specific tasks to be completed with this work are provided in Appendix B.  Are we to use Appendix B as our scope of work for the Item 4 Approach, p7, or is it only to be used for the hypothetical fee, as stated under item 6, p7?

Please reference Appendix B for your scope of work and the hypothetical fee.

With regard to item 6, Fee, hypothetical cost for Construction Management, p8, shall we assume full-time or part-time construction monitoring/inspection?  If part-time, how much time?

Assume full-time inspection services for the estimated 90 day construction period.

Regarding Appendix B, task 4d, p10, who will be designing public utility changes (Consultant?  CUD?  Emera?  etc?).  Can you also define ‘infrastructure expansions’ (vs. ‘relocations’)?

Assume the awarded firm will design all water and sewer changes and coordinate such with CUD.  The awarded firm will coordinate efforts with all other utilities and they will provide their own design. If any of the affected utilities have a master planned expansion, upgrade, re-sizing, etc. that they want in the disturbed road segment, and they are willing to pay for it, we should include it in the final road design/repairs.

Regarding Appendix B, task 4f, p11, can we assume that the consultant will be preparing any DEP-required permitting?

Assume the awarded firm will prepare and submit all DEP required permits