Restoration of Story Tomb - Old Burial Hill Cemetery

The Town of Marblehead is seeking a qualified historic conservator to restore the Story Tomb, a historic brick and marble table tomb located in the nationally recognized Old Burial Hill Cemetery, one of New England’s oldest graveyards dating to 1638. The project, solicited under number 26-59 with a not-to-exceed budget of $20,000, requires specialized expertise in the conservation of historic funerary monuments, with all proposers must demonstrate at least five years of direct experience documenting, evaluating, and conserving similar historic tombs. The scope of work includes a comprehensive conservation assessment, removal of non-original concrete parging, careful deconstruction and reconstruction of the brick tomb using original and in-kind replacement bricks matched to the original bond pattern and composition, conservation of the marble and sandstone ledger tablet, infilling of missing marble, installation of period-appropriate lime/sand mortar, and potential re-parging if historically accurate. All work must strictly adhere to the American Institute for Conservation’s Code of Ethics and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation, with full written and photographic documentation required throughout the process and a final treatment report and maintenance plan delivered upon completion. The contract is governed by Massachusetts state law, specifically General Laws Chapter 30B for procurement, Chapter 30, Section 39 et seq. for public works, and Chapter 149, Section 44A et seq. for public buildings, and is subject to appropriation by the Town Accountant, with payment conditioned on fund availability and capped at thirty days after invoice submission with accepted work. Contractors must hold comprehensive commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of $1 million per occurrence and $3 million annual aggregate, along with $500,000 per person and $1 million per accident motor vehicle insurance and a $3 million umbrella policy, with the Town named as an additional insured. Prevailing wage rates as determined by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards apply, and weekly payroll reports with compliance statements must be submitted throughout the project. Bidders must also submit certifications attesting to tax compliance under Chapter 62C, good faith bidding without collusion, and non-debarment status. The Town reserves the right to award or reject any bids based on the public interest, and contract performance is subject to time-is-of-the-essence requirements with liquidated damages for delay. All deliverables are subject to inspection and formal acceptance by the Town’s Project Representative, and final payment requires submission of