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GRAND CANYON LIGHT RAIL AND BUS TRANSIT SYSTEM
QUESTIONS FROM THE ON-SITE MEETING On September 28,1999 the National Park Service held, at Grand Canyon National Park, anon -site informational meeting for those individuals and companies interested in gathering more information about the Request for Qualifications for the light rail and bus transit system. Listed are some of the written questions received after the site visit and the NPS responses. The full set of questions and answers can be found on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/grca/transit/rfq.htm All responses provided reflect current National Park Service Information and positions are subject to change. The National Park Service, therefore, does not consider the responses to be binding. 1. On what date does the National Park Service (NPS) anticipate closing the park to private vehicle traffic and begin collecting the relevant fees for the light-rail and transit bus service? Upon completion and full testing of the light rail system - according to the SPS schedule, this could be as early as the spring of 2003. 2. How does the NPS intend to enforce the prohibition of parking at overlooks on the East Rim Drive? There will be barriers at the primary overlooks - other strategies are also being developed. 3. How is the eastern entrance (Desert View) to the park going to be controlled and patrons integrated into the transit services? Just as there is today, there will continue to be an entrance station at Desert View where transit and entrance fee will be collected. There will be a parking lot there, visitor services, and rim access. Transit buses will pick up and drop off at the Desert View parking lot. 4. Will the term of the contract be determined by the NPS, the proposers, or negotiated by the NPS and the selected concessionaire? The new concession legislation, passed by Congress in 1998, limits contract term to no longer than 20 years. Please clarify the role of the NPS’s current A/E design team throughout the project. Will they design and provide construction documents for the stations? For the maintenance facilities? Or will they only provide preliminary design (30%) with complete design and construction documents to be completed by the concessionaire’s design team? The NPS current A/E design team (BRW, Inc. of Denver, Murase Associates of Portland, OR, Shapins Associates of Boulder, CO and Overland Partners of San Antonio) will design the Grand Canyon Transit Center at Tusayan and the Village Transit Center to the 30% design will be included in the Phase II Prospectus (RFP). All bidders will bid an identical allowance, to be determined by the NPS, for design and construction of these two stations. After a contract award has been made, the same design team will continue the design from 30% to 100% at the direction of the NPS but funded by the concessionaire, keeping cost estimates within the bid allowance. 5. Will the concessionaire or the NPS employees collect the fees? To be determined, although the NPS is leaning toward having the concessionaire collect the fee. Only ONE fee will be collected with reimbursement to the non-collecting party.6. Will the transit fee be collected each time a visitor passes through the transit center, or will the fee payment be good for one week like the park entrance fee currently is? When the NPS modifies the fee structure, the modifications could include options to purchase shorter duration tickets (1-day or 2-day as well as the 7-day is being contemplated. 7. How and where will the transit fee be collected from visitors who drive into the park with lodging/camping reservations? At the existing entrance stations.Transit fee questions: Will the new transit fee be added to the existing entrance fees? NO. The NPS will modify the entrance fee structure, depending on what the transit fee needs to be, in order to keep the total fee to visitors as low as possible. Will it be paid by all visitors to Grand Canyon National Park or only be the users of the transit system? It will be paid by all visitors to the South Rim, entering via the South or East (Desert View) entrances. Will it cover train and bus services or just train service? It will cover all park transit (bus and light rail), but no tour service. Will the Guided tour be covered by a specific fee or included in the transit fee? Tours will be provided for a separate specific fee charge by the concessionaire at the point of sale of a tour.What are the actual fees currently paid by visitors? $20.00 per private vehicle (about 75% of visitors), $300 per tour bus over 25 seat capacity, $8 per person arriving in smaller capacity tour bus/van, $6 per person arriving on point to point transit service. What do you consider as an unacceptable increase to the existing fees? This is a question we are not prepared to answer. Where can employee housing be constructed and who will provide the land? A. Land will NOT be provided. Private property upon which housing could be built may be available within 25 miles. Existing housing markets can be found in Williams (60 miles) and Flagstaff (75 miles). A land exchange with the Kaibab National Forest has approved by the Forest Service in the Tusayan area and the developer (Canyon Forest Village) is seeking zoning approval from Coconino County. If the exchange is consummated, this development would include land with infrastructure, which could be developed for employee housing by the concessionaire. Under employee housing, what are the ‘minor exceptions’ in regard to free market housing that is available? There are a handful of apartments in Tusayan available on the open market. Employers provide all other housing. In the RFQ, a reference is made to the approximately 3.5 million 1998 visitors that would have been ‘eligible’ for the transit fee. How is the NPS defining the term ‘eligible’ as used in this context? Is there any similar definition for ‘eligible’ users of the tour service fee? All South Rim visitors 5 years old and over would be considered eligible for the transit fee as referred to in the RFQ. Tour bus services normally charge for all passengers - purchase of a tour is optional. To what extent, if any, will private charter an/or tour buses (and, thus charters and tours) be allowed beyond the Tusayan gateway facility other than those authorized by the selected concessionaire? Under normal circumstances, day-use tours and charters would have a choice to park at the Tusayan station or drive through the park on ‘east Rim Drive but wouldn’t have access to Grand Canyon Village. Those with overnight accommodations would only have access to those accommodations in Grand Canyon Village. The NPS reserves the right to make exceptions for special circumstances. What other business opportunities can the contractor pursue to offset infrastructure costs? Only two - small retail operation geared toward visitor’s last minute needs (hats, sunscreen, water bottles, pre-prepared lunches, etc.) and a pet boarding facility, both of which will be located at the Grand Canyon transit Center at Tusayan. These concessions will be required by the contract.Are non-business vehicles (day use park visitor vehicles) going to be prohibited from entering the Park? No. Day use visitors will be able to drive their cars into the park and go throught the park on East Rim Drive. They will not be able to drive into Grand Canyon Village, however. Does this systems supplant the Village free shuttle system? Yes, this system will take the place of the existing free shuttle.
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