DATE: October 11, 2016
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Lisa Clayton, Parks Director
Emily Hunter, Planning and Sustainability Director
Amanda Rose, Preservation Planner
SUBJECT:
Consideration of COF Contract No. 2016-0274: Grant Contract for Select Burial Marker Restoration at City Cemetery (10/11/16 WS) y
Purpose
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information to the Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) concerning a request for approval to enter into a grant contract with the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) for the completion of select burial marker restoration work at the historic City Cemetery. City Cemetery is owned by the City of Franklin and is located at the intersection of N. Margin St. and 4th Ave. N.
Background
The THC administers an annual grant program for eligible historic preservation projects on behalf of the federal government. City Cemetery has been determined to be a historically significant resource as evidenced by its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012, and because of this, the THC has offered to award the City an $8,640 grant toward the completion of restoration work on sixteen critically-damaged stone burial markers at the site. The Battlefield Preservation Commission has identified the preservation and maintenance of both City and Rest Haven Cemeteries as one of its top priorities, and burial marker restoration is important to consider at this time so as to will prevent any potential irreparable stone issues in the future. The restoration work will save these historic resources from any potential irreparable issues in the future, and it will also create a safer environment for the public.
Previous grants from the THC have funded the completion of a preservation and maintenance plan and the completion of a remote sensing survey for City and Rest Haven Cemeteries.
Financial Impact
The THC has offered to extend the City a 60/40 match grant to fund the completion of the selected restoration work. A cemetery restoration consultant has estimated a cost of approximately $14,100.00 for the completion of the selected restoration work, and the THC has offered to reimburse 60 percent of that cost. The City’s match (up to $5,640.00) has been allocated within the Parks Department budget. Upon entry into the grant contract, bids will be solicited competitively, and a qualified contractor will be selected.
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the grant contract.