Documentary Study and Archaeological Evaluation for Fort Ward Historical Park

December 3, 2010

Mr. Dave Cavanaugh

4008 Fort Worth Avenue

Alexandria, Virginia 22304-1713

RE: Documentary Study and Archaeological Evaluation for Fort Ward Historical Park

Dear Mr. Cavanaugh:

This is in response to the concerns expressed in your e-mail of November 5, 2010 regarding the

Fort Ward archaeological project. It is my understanding that you have received the Scope of

Work and deliverables negotiated for the project, which have been posted on the City’s website,

but that you are still awaiting a written justification for the changes from the Request for

Proposals (RFP) dated April 7, 2010. This letter will explain the process used by this office to

justify such changes.

I am sure that you recall that at the August 24, 2010 meeting of the Ad Hoc Fort Ward Park and

Museum Area Stakeholder Advisory Group (FWSAG) , it was indicated that I would postpone

action on signing a contract for archaeological services at Fort Ward until I had the opportunity

to publicly respond to the issues raised in your letter of the same date addressed to the FWSAG.

It was agreed that a response from the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) would be placed at

the top of the agenda at the next meeting of the FWSAG.

On September 9, 2010, Dr. Pamela Cressey, Director of Alexandria Archaeology, and I did

provide such a public response, lasting nearly two and three quarter hours, resulting in the

postponement of all other agenda items due to lateness of the hour. Unfortunately, you were

apparently unable to attend the September 9 meeting and therefore did not hear the response, nor

the carefully considered questions of the committee that we answered. At the conclusion of our

presentation a guest in attendance, Dr. Esther White, Director of Archaeology at Mount Vernon

Estate and Gardens, reinforced the appropriateness of the first phase of the archaeological project

planned by OHA at the Fort Ward site. At the conclusion of the meeting the FWSAG approved

that recommended that the OHA proceed with negotiations to pursue the contemplated contract

for archaeological field work at the Fort Ward site. All voted FWSAG members present voted in

favor except Adrienne Washington. Soon after we completed our negotiations and signed a

contract with The Ottery Group.

You have raised concerns regarding the discrepancy regarding the work phases discussed in the

RFP and the Scope of Work that was ultimately negotiated, and the initial $40,000 cost of the

work that may grow to $350,000. The RFP process used by the City of Alexandria anticipates a

maximum benefit to the City within the amount of funding that may be available, both currently

and in future phases of the project. In the case of Fort Ward, the documentary study and

archaeological evaluation anticipated phases of the project that would take place now and well

into the future, anticipating that as future funding became available, additional phases of the

project could be initiated. Therefore, the City solicits and receives RFP’s including anticipated

current and future phases of a project, and negotiations begin focused on what can be the

maximum amount of work achieved within the dollar amount available. The final result may or

may not line up exactly with the phases anticipated in the RFP, as the project components are

negotiated between the City and the Contractor to a mutually agreeable result. Ultimately, these

negotiations result in a final Scope of Work and a signed contract, and are made available to the

public after the contract is signed. Although an initial appropriation of funds may not cover all

phases of a project, the initiating department does its best to estimate the ultimate cost of a

project to guide City Council in anticipated future expenses that may be required to continue or

complete a project.

The necessity of archaeological field work at the Fort Ward site has been discussed extensively

over the past several years, particularly in identifying the exact location of subterranean cultural

resources, as well as known and unknown burials within the park. I do not share your view that

the first phase of the planned archaeological survey is a “waste of money” that should be

diverted to document the history and/or to develop an interpretive plan for the park. Rather, it is

the shared opinion for several reasons;

1. The City Council Docket Item # 9 of October 13, 2009 allocating $50,000 for an

archaeology survey at Fort Ward Park must be used for historical and archaeological

research only. Funds may not be utilized for interpretive planning purposes.

2. Confirming the existence of burial sites at key locations within Fort Ward Park for the

FWSAG is a priority for OHA before the end of 2010.

3. Identifying cultural resources and burials sites within the park must be completed

before a Master Plan for the park is developed and future park uses are recommended.

4. The location of cultural resources and burials sites within the park must be

determined to mitigate the impact of future park projects such as drainage or other

infrastructure improvements.

5. The confirmation of cultural resources, burials and/or artifacts within the park will

confirm, enhance, correct or negate the current documentary record of the Fort Ward

property, and influence future planning decisions for the park.

6. An interpretive plan for the park should be developed as a component of the Master

Plan anticipated for Fort Ward Park and not be segmented as an unrelated element of

a park plan.

7. Completing the historical record and inventory is an ongoing process which is

satisfactorily addressed in the first phase of the archaeological project, and is a

continuing priority of the Office of Historic Alexandria and Fort Ward History Work

Group.

8. The archaeological investigation planned for specific areas in Phase I has been

carefully developed based on existing visual, verbal or documentary evidence, and/or

is confirmed by an experimental Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey executed

in 2009.

9. Development of the procedures used for future phases of the Fort Ward

archaeological project will be based on the confirmed success in Phase I of the

archaeological evaluation, of the experimental GPR technology used previously at the

site.

10. The archaeological evaluation planned for Fort Ward Park adheres to the Secretary of

the Interior’s Standards for Archaeological Documentation.

11. The historic research and documentation planned for Fort Ward Park adheres to the

Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historical Documentation.

I appreciate the opportunity to make these comments to you, and hope that you find that they

explain OHA’s justification with proceeding with the archaeological evaluation at this time.

Thank you for your interest in the history, preservation and great understanding of Fort Ward

Park. I look forward to continuing to work with you on this effort in the months and years

ahead.

Very truly yours,

J. Lance Mallamo

Director, Office of Historic Alexandria