Reconnecting to our Waterways – Signage Project – Project Manager Scope of Work
Date: October 10, 2022
Reconnecting to Our Waterways (ROW) is a Collective Impact initiative in Indianapolis that has worked purposefully since 2012 to change the quality of life and ecology along Indianapolis waterways and surrounding neighborhoods. ROW has been able to convene community partners to enhance quality of life through innovation, analysis, cultural advancement and investment along Indy waterways and neighborhoods.
Through our place-based model of authentic community engagement, we work to build capacity to support our partners’ work and to build hyper-local, democratic processes needed to address a wide range of challenges and opportunities in the neighborhoods we work. We do this by cultivating a network of resident-led, action-oriented change at the neighborhood level. Since ROW’s inception in 2011, ROW has been focused on select neighborhoods around six major waterways in Indianapolis: Central Canal, Fall Creek, Little Eagle Creek, Pleasant Run, Pogue’s Run, and White River. Each of the six waterways consist of a volunteer committee of residents, community organizations and community partners who meet monthly, develop and approve an annual workplan, and implement that workplan to connect community to the waterways nearby through monthly meetings, events and other activities.
Scope of Work:
In 2019-20 under a similar grant, ROW was able to create, fabricate and install 17 new waterway-adjacent signs with input and direction from our community volunteers through the waterway committee process. ROW has secured funding from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation to work with the six waterway committees to create new signage along these waterways and greenways. To this end, ROW seeks to engage a project manager to facilitate the waterway community discussions, ensure consensus, develop draft copy, secure desired artwork / photographs or determine maps, identify sites / locations, work with ROW’s partner Taylor Siefker Williams (design contractor) on design and site mapping, submit drafts to the City of Indianapolis (greenways property owner) for approval, and work with the signage contractor on fabrication, quality control and installation according to all Full Circle Greenway Master Plan specifications. All signage costs must be within the allocated signage budget with $3,000 provided to each waterway committee for a total of $18,000 in direct signage costs available under the grant. It is estimated that each waterway will be able to secure 2-3 signs for this budget amount (or a total number of signs to be created would be 12 – 18).
Completion of these tasks will require regular communications with the ROW Waterway Committees, attending monthly waterway committee meetings, listening to community voices, identifying challenges and working with the volunteers and ROW to overcome any challenges. ROW values democratic processes, insists upon respectful dialogs, and seeks broad, equitable input on consensus building and decision-making..
The ideal candidate for project manager must be:
- A good listener and ensure all community voices are heard, respected and considered;;
- An effective problem solver, resourceful and attention to detail;
- A consensus builder;
- Patient and approachable;
- Committed to equitable outcomes, including issues around diverse audiences (education, age, race, curlture, disabilities, language)
- Make themselves available to meet community members where they are (especially by attending waterway committee meetings);
- Able to meet budget and timeline requirements for the grant; and
- Work well with project partners like Indy Parks, Taylor Seifker Williams, etc;
Project Timeline:
- August 2022: Project launched
- September 1 – October 2022: Signage survey and input
- November – December 2022: Ideas narrowed down to final list of signs concepts and type (trailhead, interpretive, etc)
- January 2023: Drafting signage narrative copy, start identifying graphics / photographs / maps and other signage elements; finalize desired locations and submit draft location and signage information to the City of Indianapolis for approval
- February 2023: All draft information submitted to design contractor, responding to questions, present drafts to the waterway committees, submit final drafts to the City of Indianapolis for approval.
- March 2023: Finalize all information for design contractor, submit all files to fabricator, manage additional issues that arise from City, design contractor, fabricator and committees.
- April – May 2023: Fabrication and installation of signs.
If interested in this contract for services to Reconnecting to Our Waterways (and its fiscal agent Central Indiana Community Foundation), submit a Letter of interest (LOI) outlining the following:
- Name of Individual
- Name of Firm, if applicable
- Contact Information (including address, phone number, email address, website if applicable)
- Past work with Reconnecting to Our Waterways (ROW)
- Experience in similar projects and project management
- Brief paragraph about your experience and commitment to authentic community engagement, input and equity of voices
- Brief paragraph about why you would like to be chosen to assist with this project
LOI should not exceed three (3) pages. A resume and up to two (2) samples of work may also be submitted. Total packet may not exceed 5 MB.
LOIs must be received by 5PM EDT on Thursday, October 27, 2022 by emailing responses to Julie L Rhodes, [email protected].
ROW reserves the right to select a consultant based on responses alone or request an additional interview. Once selected, ROW can move quickly to negotiate a final scope of services and fee with the goal of beginning the work no later than the week of November 7, 2022.
Compensation:
- Flat fee contact = $6,000*
- Based on an estimation of an average of 20 hours per month x 6 months x $50/hour
- Additional Expenses (copies, etc) – $500
- Total Compensation: $6,500
- *This is a contracted hourly, limited time and limited scope position. Contractor is required to submit a W-9, report income and pay all applicable taxes.
Travel: There could be need for travel to in-person meetings, but some meetings (especially through the winter) could be virtual / hybrid meetings. Mileage reimbursement not included.
Available Work Times: Because the waterway meetings and other neighborhood meetings often fall on evenings, it does require some evening meetings.