Frequently Asked Questions

The City of Wilmington Water Department owns the Rodney Reservoir site.

There are no safety concerns due to underground water. Safety concerns center around the roof of the tank. The beams are in fairly good shape, but areas of the roof are not (4 inches thick). The structural evaluation is available on the City of Wilmington website here. The last structural evaluation completed by an engineering firm of the condition of the underground covered water tank was completed in 2006. The evaluation identified structural issues with a portion of the roof of the water tank. The 2006 engineers' report recommended repairs and provided an estimate for the cost of repairs. There has been no structural evaluation of the condition of the underground water tank since 2006.

It is a community priority to address overall safety issues at the future site, for example, through design features that support stewardship and programmatic measures.

The site perimeter fence was installed during the period 2003-2004. At that time, the City announced plans to revitalize the site and open it for public events, but those improvements were never implemented. It was at this time that the music pavilion and the viewing tower were removed as well. In 2010 residents launched a successful effort to create a community garden on the lower portion of the site, restoring some access to the site by members of the public. The interior chain link fence was put in place in 2010-2012 after the City was made aware the roof was unsafe and a threat to public safety.

Additional information about the community's efforts to restore public access to the Rodney Reservoir site can be found on the Green for the Greater Good website.

Vincent Carroccia, Department of Public Works Deputy Commissioner:

That's why it was fenced off. They were envisioning putting it back in service. Our (City of Wilmington's) plan was to demo, munch concrete, and grade the site.

The Mayor's perspective and Public Works Department's perspective is that we are moving forward, and with estimated demolition to start in January. The selected Landscape Architect firm will work closely with the City of Wilmington and their demolition plans. The preliminary design requested as a deliverable of this RFP should integrate existing and/or include solutions to address the safety concerns associated with the buried water tank. Some members of the community have advocated for the preliminary design process to be completed before the City proceeds with demolition at the Rodney Reservoir site. It is also the desire of the Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee that the preliminary design inform all future actions the City takes at the site.

The PSA for the design phase will not preclude you in engaging in later phases of the project. The selected team should have the capacity to continue through later phases of the Rodney Reservoir Park project. Contracts for additional design work for later phases of the project will be independent of the current RFP process for the development of a preliminary design and budget.

A lump sum is preferable for the RFP. Costs should be itemized to give details about the proposed activities and workflow. The RFP will be reviewed by the 13-member Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria.

Not at this time. The RFP will be reviewed by the 13-member Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria.

D'Huy will be able to work with the design team. Any work the engineering firm will do on behalf of the selected firm will be handled as a sub-consultant to the Landscape Architect.

Downloadable links are acceptable. The size limit is 30 gigabytes.

View Attachment C - Rodney Street Reservoir Design Drawings (PDF) of the 2022 Rodney Reservoir Survey 2022.

The fence is in place because the roof of the structure is not safe. No one is permitted to cross the fence line.

The summary information from the Community Park Design Charette Information was included as an attachment in the RFP (PDF).

At the Community Design Charrette in June residents began to think through the need to balance access, safety, usable space and elevation in the final design. There is strong community support for creating a strong sense of place in the design of the future park. Find more information about the Community Park Design Charrette on the Green for the Greater Good website.

Once the firm is selected and launches the design process, all other documents from the Community Park Design Charrette will be made available to the consultant for reference. It is recommended that the firm will also meet with the organizers of the charrette for more background on and materials resulting from that process.

We are looking for concept plans sufficient to develop an accurate cost estimate.

The RFP will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria. There are no reporting requirements at this time.

A structural engineering report was completed in 2006 and is available on the City of Wilmington website.

There is some community support that firms include an engineering component/previous experience in their proposal to determine the condition and constraints of the site in order to inform the design.

If any structural components of the reservoir were retained, it would be up to the consultant design team to determine it was structurally sound.

Jim Lober, with KCI Technologies, is our civil engineer. It would be the responsibility of the design firm.

The deliverable for this project is a preliminary design that incorporates community input and identifies any gaps in information that would inhibit the design work. The complexity of the site may require that firms work with the City of Wilmington's Civil and Structural engineering firms. Additionally, firms with these services in-house or with similar experience working with civil and structural engineers will demonstrate the capacity to develop a design for the future Rodney Reservoir Park.

The RFP will be reviewed by the Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee and pricing will be one component of the evaluation criteria.

We anticipate the design phase to be completed by December 31, 2023.

We have a thirteen-member advisory committee.

An expected 100 to 200 people will participate in meetings over the course of the community engagement process. Eighty residents and other stakeholders participated in the design Charette organized earlier this year by the community group Green for the Greater Good.

As part of the RFP, we are asking that the deliverables include an estimated cost of the proposed design.

This would be based upon the design effort and ultimately be the Mayor's decision to delay demolition.

There is some community support for any sitework at the Rodney Reservoir, including the demolition of the defunct water tank, to flow from the park design developed through the community design process outlined in this RFP. Residents have asked the City of Wilmington to hold off on demolition, including preparing specifications and bid documents, until the conclusion of the design process outlined in this RFP. Ideally, the preliminary design and cost estimate will represent a strong consensus vision for the future of the Rodney Reservoir that includes significant community input in collaboration with representatives of the City of Wilmington that can serve as the foundation for decision-making about the next steps, including fundraising to make the design a reality.

Vince Carroccia, City of Wilmington Public Works Deputy Commissioner:

Verdantas soil samples were taken. A full report completed by independent third-party experts is available on the City of Wilmington website. Elevated levels of Cobalt were found in multiple samples. Additional testing was conducted. The cobalt findings do not meet regulatory risk levels. The full recommendations are available in the report located on the City of Wilmington website.

The safety of the site is of utmost concern of the Advisory Committee, the City of Wilmington and the community. The City of Wilmington will comply with DNREC, OSHA, and all regulatory entities to evaluate possible contamination. Some members of the community are asking for additional environmental testing, specifically of the concrete water tank and pipe work before demolition due to the fact that the original specs for the construction of the Rodney Reservoir called for the use of coal cinders in the concrete mix and as fill, and for the use of lead in pipe joints.

Third-party environmental companies were hired to conduct an independent assessment and report, available on the City of Wilmington website.

A total of 19 samples have been taken from around the site. Elevated cobalt was found. Additional site testing was conducted. Recommendations are included in the report. The City is working closely with DNREC on submitting a modified residential risk assessment. After review, DNREC-RS will provide comment on how the soil from the site should be managed.

Some members of the community are asking for additional environmental testing, specifically of the concrete water tank and pipe work before demolition due to the fact that the original specs for the construction of the Rodney Reservoir called for the use of coal cinders in the concrete mix and as fill, and for the use of lead in pipe joints.

The safety of the site is of utmost concern of the Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee, the City of Wilmington and the community. The City of Wilmington will comply with DNREC, OSHA, and all regulatory entities to evaluate possible contamination.

The scope for this RFP does not include any environmental testing or remediation.

Some members of the community are asking for additional environmental testing, specifically of the concrete water tank and pipe work before demolition due to the fact that the original specs for the construction of the Rodney Reservoir called for the use of coal cinders in the concrete mix and as fill, and for the use of lead in pipe joints.

The intent of the RFP process is to hire a landscape architect that can develop an understanding of the environmental condition of the site and use this information to inform design choices included in the scope of this project, including during demolition/site work phase.

Yes. The City has retained D'Huy Engineering for Civil and Structural engineering services.

The deliverable for this project is a preliminary design that incorporates community input and identifies any gaps in information that would inhibit the design work. The complexity of the site may require that firms work with the City of Wilmington's Civil and Structural engineering firms. Additionally, firms with these services in-house or with similar experience working with civil and structural engineers will demonstrate the capacity to develop a design for the future Rodney Reservoir Park.

Yes. The City has retained D'Huy Engineering for Civil and Structural engineering services.

The deliverable for this project is a preliminary design that incorporates community input and identifies any gaps in information that would inhibit the design work. The complexity of the site may require that firms work with the City of Wilmington's Civil and Structural engineering firms. Additionally, firms with these services in-house or with similar experience working with civil and structural engineers will demonstrate the capacity to develop a design for the future Rodney Reservoir Park.

Yes, the Mayor would like the demolition of the site to begin as soon as possible. The anticipated start date is in January.

Residents have asked the City of Wilmington to hold off on demolition, including preparing specifications and bid documents, until the conclusion of the design process outlined in this RFP.

The 13-member Rodney Reservoir Advisory Committee, appointed by the Mayor, and made up of residents, community leaders, and City of Wilmington officials, will select three or four firms for interviews, ideally from October 18 to 23. The Committee will then immediately vote to select the firm for hire.