TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Beth Beatty, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Award of Professional Services Agreement for the Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study to Preservation Futures in an Amount not to Exceed $135,000.00
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BACKGROUND:
At its February 20, 2024 the City Council approved several intergovernmental agreements that outlined funding commitments, roles and responsibilities to prepare a Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study that documents the history and culture of the Joliet area Black community.
The purpose of this project is to:
• document Joliet area Black history in an accurate narrative,
• acknowledge racial injustice using history,
• recognize historic properties important to the Black community,
• challenge misinformation about the Black experience
• record Black voices for future generations, and
• place Route 66 history in context with the history of the south side and black residents.
Through these agreements, the City and its partners including Joliet Township, Will County Historic Preservation Commission, Lockport Township and the State of Illinois committed $76,000 for this project. The City’s commitment is $20,000 and will be paid from the Planning Division’s and City Manager’s 2024 budget.
DISCUSSION:
The City issued a Request for Qualifications on April 4, 2024 for professional services to prepare the context study. The Request for Qualifications is attached. Five qualifications were returned to the City by the May 17, 2024 deadline. These firms were:
• Altus Works
• Owen & Eastlake
• Post Oak Preservation
• AECOM
• Preservation Futures
A steering committee comprised of staff, Historic Preservation Commission members, and community members evaluated the submittals. This analysis included a detailed review of qualifications, experience, and proposed plan. The steering committee interviewed Owen & Eastlake, AECOM, and Preservation Futures for this contract. After conducting the interviews, the steering committee felt that Preservation Future’s qualifications best met the desired outcomes for this project. Their qualifications submittal can be found as an attachment, which includes their proposed scope of services for this project.
The context study will include traditional historical research as well as input from the Joliet area African American community. The final context study report will contain a comprehensive history of the Joliet area’s African American community from the first residents through the late 20th century. It will also contain defined historical themes connected with the African American experience in Joliet. Associated places connected to this history will also be compiled in the report, including those no longer extant. A comprehensive bibliography will also be a deliverable. Anticipated project completion date is December 2025.
With the $76,000 in committed funding, Preservation Futures will be able to prepare a historic context study as described above. In addition, Preservation Futures will meet with the Steering Committee numerous times throughout the project to ensure robust community engagement. In partnership with the Steering Committee, Preservation Futures will facilitate three community meetings / events to gather information. Finally, Preservation Futures will deliver two public presentations on topics derived from the findings of this context study.
In the RFQ, the City requested that responders identify additional services that would enhance the project. In its RFQ response, Preservation Futures indicated that this project would benefit from additional funding to allow for oral history production, intensive-level historic resource documentation of selected properties, mapping, social media and communication work and identified these as additional services should there be additional funding available. Staff anticipates future funding being available for some of these additional services in late 2024 and 2025.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION:
recommendation
The Historic Preservation Commission met on June 26, 2024 to review the Steering Committee’s recommendation to enter into a professional services agreement with Preservation Futures to prepare a Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study that meets the baseline requirements outlined in the RFQ. Staff reviewed their qualifications and proposal. Staff also indicated that the City is pursuing additional funding commitments to ensure robust oral history production and media production and these would be additional services provided by Preservation Futures should additional funding be secured.
After this discussion, a motion was made by Spiegel, seconded by Merwin, to approve an Award of a Professional Services Agreement for the Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study in an amount not to exceed $135,000.00. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Quinn Adamowski, Kevin Heinemann, Candace Johnson, Kailee Lowry, Sharon Merwin, Ken Spiegel, Sara Stovall and Steven Wright. Minutes of the June 26, 2024 meeting are attached.
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RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Council award a Professional Services Agreement to Preservation Futures in an amount not to exceed $135,000.00 to prepare the Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study. The Agreement will obligate the $76,000.00 in committed funding for project and up to $59,000.000 should additional funding be committed.
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