Recommend approval to contract with Savannah Construction and Preservation in the amount of $464,596.00 to restore and renovate the historic two-story structure adjacent to the new Savannah Police Department Central Precinct. The 1890s home at 419 West 34^th Street will be renovated into a duplex caretaker’s cottage, and rented at reduced rates to new Savannah Police Department officers in exchange for them performing certain caretaker duties at the adjacent Central Precinct.  Attached is the proposed lease that describes the fee agreement and duties required of police recruits while living at the caretaker's cottage.  

The caretaker’s cottage restoration project will be overseen by the Office of Capital Projects Management, and will consist of a complete renovation in keeping with the historic and architectural character of the building. The two-story structure is considered the most historically significant building on the site on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard purchased by the City for construction of the first purpose-built precinct facility in Savannah in a century.

City Council approved an agreement with the Historic Savannah Foundation in September 2018, whereby Historic Savannah agreed to contribute $50,000.00 to hire an architect and develop plans and specifications the City used to develop the rehabilitation Request for Proposal (RFP), with the balance being placed in a maintenance reserve account that will help the City continue to maintain the property’s exterior according to historic standards. In exchange for this contribution, the City would accept a Historic Savannah Foundation conservation easement on the property for a period of 10 years from completion of the project, which grants the organization continued oversight of exterior alterations, repairs and improvements of the structure.

The house has undergone many renovations over the past 125 years, including additions on the rear of the structure. The work will cover selective demolition (in some cases involving lead paint), new construction (interior and exterior) including new mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, and minor site work.

This event had an 18% DBE goal, 10% LDBE goal. The recommended proposer submitted DBE participation at the prime level in the amount of 33%.

Approval