RFP to Lease the Dun Glen Ark in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
Open — responses due 15 Jan 2027 (62 days left) · Unrestricted (full and open) · National Park Service (NPS), DOI · Thurmond, WV · NAICS 53 · Solicitation NERI_Dun-Glen-Ark_RFP
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Description
SUMMARY OF LEASING OPPORTUNITY This Request for Proposals (RFP) provides the opportunity for any interested individual or organization, hereinafter referred to as “Offeror” to submit proposals to the National Park Service (‘NPS’, ‘Lessor’) to lease NPS property at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (‘New River Gorge’, ‘NERI’, ‘the Park’) for a Commercial Use under the following general terms and conditions. The selected Offeror (‘offeror’, ‘you’, ‘your’) will have exclusive negotiation rights to enter into a lease based on the attached Sample Lease (See Attachment A). Elements of your proposal may be incorporated into the Lease at Lessor’s discretion. OBJECTIVES New River Gorge has seen a 40% increase in visitation since 2020. In 2023, the Park saw 1.71 million visitors and expects growth to continue into the coming years. Visitors to the national park spent ~$80 million in local communities around the park in 2021 and 2022, representing just a fraction of the $9 billion consumer spending on West Virginia outdoor recreation annually according to Outdoor Industry Association’s recreation economy report in 2022. New River Gorge has an extensive inventory of historic buildings throughout the park requiring rehabilitation and day-to-day maintenance. The Park is looking to revitalize these properties by seeking out qualified individuals to establish commercial businesses that are aligned to the Park’s mission and willing to take on all associated rehabilitation and maintenance costs. New River Gorge’s objective is to lease historic buildings to Lessees who demonstrate they can undertake rehabilitation of the structures in accordance with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the treatment of Historic Properties and demonstrate the financial capability to carry out the rehabilitation they propose to undertake. OVERVIEW OF THE PROPERTY OFFERED FOR LEASE The Dun Glen Ark, commonly known as the Ark, is located at 136 Dun Glen Parking Lot (McKendree Road), Thurmond, West Virginia, 25936 (37.95326077191746, -81.0755964412642). The lease premises solely includes the structural footprint of the Ark, Mini Ark, and Boat Storage Rack, while all surrounding property will be maintained by the Park for public use. The Ark is a two-story, approximately 3,276 sq. ft. structure with natural-stained wood siding and a second-floor balcony wrapping around the front (eastern, river-facing) side. A large garage door at the front allows for movement of watercraft and other large objects from the spacious single-bay ground floor directly onto the gravel Dun Glen river access road, about 50 feet from the boat ramp. The Mini Ark is a one-story approximately 984 sq. ft. structure built in a similar style to the Ark. The Mini Ark has three rooms, with inoperable restrooms in the back of the outside two. Room one is approximately 13’ by 15’. Rooms two and three are approximately 12’ by 20’. The Boat Storage Rack is an open air approximately 224 sq. ft. structure. The underside of the roof is 7-8 feet off the ground and 28’ long by 9’ wide. There are three support posts with three storage racks on each post. The lease premises include 0.41 acres of land as shown in Exhibit 1 below. The lease does not include reserved parking in the public parking lot, but parking could be added in the lease area next to the Mini Ark. The Ark was built in 1975 as part of the Wildwater Unlimited rafting company’s Dun Glen base of operations and originally used to house equipment in large bays on the ground floor and administrative offices above. From the turn of the 20th century through the next three decades, it was the site of the Dun Glen Hotel, which served the residents of the area as well as rail travelers passing through the town of Thurmond on the opposite bank of the river. Long after the hotel was destroyed by arson in 1930, the property passed into the ownership of Wildwater Unlimited, the first commercial rafting outfitter in West Virginia. The rafting company enjoyed many years of success before being acquired by a competitor, after which Dun Glen was sold to the NPS and transformed into a public day use area. Due to Dun Glen’s close affiliation with the establishment of the whitewater rafting industry in the state, the structures and the area are considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and must be treated similarly to other listed historic properties. The Mini Ark and Boat Storage Rack were added in 1985. The Ark lies fully within the Dun Glen Day Use Area, immediately adjacent to the main public boat launch into the New River. The Park’s priorities in Dun Glen are to maintain public access to the river and offer visitors a place to gather in close proximity to the area’s trails and the Thurmond Historic District. Dun Glen also serves as the gateway to Thurmond in the sense that it has better and more robust river access, parking capacity, event space, and utilities than available on the other side of the river. To reach Dun Glen, take U.S. Route 19 to the Glen Jean exit, north of Beckley. Follow the signs to Thurmond, seven miles down WV Route 25 (Route 25 is a narrow, winding road and is not recommended for RVs and trailers). Turn right onto the McKendree Road intersection immediately before crossing the Thurmond railroad bridge. Continue approximately 0.1 miles and the entrance to Dun Glen will be on the left along the river off McKendree Road. Park at the Upper Dun Glen Lot or continue along the river access road to the lower level to reach the Ark. From Dun Glen, Thurmond is 0.4 miles north across the railroad and auto bridge over the New River, the Stone Cliff Campground is 1.5 miles south down McKendree Road, the New River Gorge administrative headquarters is 6.4 miles west in the town of Glen Jean. The cities of Fayetteville and Beckley, WV are each located approximately 16 miles north and 19 miles south, respectively, along US Route 19. Allowed Uses of the Lease Premises The Ark is available for commercial use, this may include but is not limited to office space, tour operations, retail sale of consumer-packaged goods or other merchandise, rental of outdoor or other recreation equipment, or as an event venue (subject to NPS approval). The lessee may not use the premises for the following purposes: private use restricting access to the general public such as members-only clubs, illegal activities including but not limited to gambling, marijuana, or firearms, overnight lodging. Key Information About This Leasing Opportunity Deferred Maintenance: The roof of the Dun Glen Ark needs to be replaced, offerors willing to undertake this project should specify this in their proposal. A rental payment offset will be made available if a Lessee completes the work. Mail to: NERI_leasing@nps.gov. Building Codes and Zoning: The NPS will expect any work done on the property, where relevant, to meet the standards set forth by the 2024 ICC family of Codes and all codes referenced in those codes. For fire codes, follow all codes referenced in NPS Director’s Order #58 and NPS Reference Manual #58. For accessibility, work must meet the ICC Codes and the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standard (ABAAS). Additionally, Certificates of Occupancy are issued by the NPS Building Code Official. Historic Preservation: Construction design, authorization, regulatory compliance, and permitting will be required to comply with one or several of the following: the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines; National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and Section 106 compliance; National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); NFPA 914 Code for Protection of Historical Structures. Please note that your proposal may trigger compliance processes in accordance with one or more of the laws, regulations or policies listed above. The cost of any such compliance process as well as the costs of plan check, code review and construction inspections will be borne by the Lessee. Public Boat Ramp: If an offeror is interested in utilizing the public boat ramp, they must include their intended use and frequency of use in their proposal. Use of the boat ramp will be non-exclusive. Jurisdiction The Lease Premises are subject to concurrent jurisdiction. Under concurrent jurisdiction, Federal and State governments share the governmental authority, and unless otherwise stated, the laws of both governments are applicable. The Lessee must comply, at its sole cost and expense, with all Applicable Laws and Requirements (including Federal, State, and local laws, rules, regulations, requirements, and policies) in fulfilling its obligations under the Lease. It is the responsibility of the Lessee to determine whether it is subject to specific taxes and assessments and abide by those applicable statutes. Any comments made by the NPS in this RFP do not alter those responsibilities, if any, nor should they be construed to take a position nor express a view on behalf of the…
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