SILVER SPRING, MD—The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Montgomery County Department of Parks is looking for expressions of interest from qualified individuals or private entities interested in using 7 closed park activity buildings in the Montgomery Parks system. A Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) is on the streets and applications will be accepted now through 11:00 am, Friday, September 23, 2011.
“Budget constraints require us to take more innovative approaches to making sure park assets and buildings are maintained and protected,” said Mary R. Bradford, Director of Parks, M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks. “We need to find good tenants to keep them in service.”
In January 2010, the Department of Parks closed eleven under-utilized park activity buildings as a savings measure to meet Fiscal Year 2010 and Fiscal Year 2011 budget constraints. Several of the closed buildings are currently occupied by tenants or being evaluated for future use. The remaining seven closed buildings are now being solicited for occupancy by qualified individuals or private entities.
The seven park activity buildings, which are the subject of the REOI, are not currently used for park purposes, and include:
- Clarksburg Park Activity Building,
- North Chevy Chase Local Park Activity Building,
- Colesvile Local Park Activity Building,
- North Four Corners Local Park Activity Building,
- Stoneybrook Local Park Activity Building,
- Owens Local Park Activity Building, and
- Maplewood Alta Vista Local Park Activity Building.
The REOI is a pre-qualification solicitation developed to identify qualified offerors with the background and demonstrated experience to operate and manage a business. The Department of Parks is requiring offerors to have at least five years experience in managing and operating a business with the ability to provide audited financial records. The next step after the REOI is the issue of a Request for Proposals (RFP), later this fall, to those prequalified offerors.
It is anticipated that M-NCPPC will enter into a five year lease with any successful proposal offeror. Rent for the buildings will be based on 100 percent cost recovery or market rate rent, whichever is higher, to cover capital improvement needs, utilities, maintenance costs and to generate revenues. Interested private entities or individuals will be required to offer suitable uses compatible with the park and surrounding community.
Although the park activity buildings under consideration with this REOI will not be open for site visits during this solicitation period, floor plans and interior and exterior photos accompany the complete REOI. Site visits will be available during the RFP process.
In response to this REOI, interested offerors must complete and submit a pre-qualification questionnaire by 11:00 am, Friday, September 23, 2011. For a complete copy of the REOI and submission instructions, please visit www.MontgomeryParks.org or contact Jana Harris at Jana.Harris@MNCPPC.org.
# # #
Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866