CP-24-001 Professional Services for River Park Improvements

The Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority (CPPDA) invites proposals from qualified firms to serve as the CPPDA’s “Project Manager” with respect to the River Park at Canal Place (“River Park”).  The River Park is a multi-jurisdictional effort to create a whitewater park and associated streamside amenities in and along the portion of the Potomac River that runs by the City of Cumberland.  The River Park will be located along the North Branch of the Potomac River in the City of Cumberland, from an estimated 0.25 miles upstream of the Blue Bridge/Cumberland Industrial Dam to an estimated 1.50 miles downstream from the Blue Bridge/Cumberland Industrial Dam.  The project area runs parallel to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) Towpath which in Cumberland is along the south bank of the River and borders the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control structures upstream and downstream.  As conceptualized, the River Park project will include removal of the Cumberland Industrial Dam and the development, construction, and landscaping of whitewater features, green space, trails and trail connections, canoe/kayak access, viewing areas, parking, murals, and fishing access to the North Branch. One aspect of the River Park project is the planned removal of the Cumberland Industrial Dam, which currently presents an obstacle to navigation along the River.  The City of Cumberland is taking the lead on this aspect of the project and, to that end, has engaged in a procurement to obtain the services of engineering and construction firms to evaluate, propose, and implement plans for removing the dam.  Once the dam is removed, the project will involve the construction of in-stream whitewater features and other in-stream improvements.  Further details about the River Park are set out in the Design and Implementation Plan for the project, which is attached as Appendix A.