Community leaders in the east Bronx who have been following the plans to redevelop the Rodman’s Neck NYPD firing range are looking for specifics.
The NYC Department of Design and Construction in September released a Request for Proposals for architects and engineers to design a new range and to submit a bid by the Thursday, October 12 deadline.
As of press time, 128 different companies have entered bids on the project, according to an online DDC database.
However, as of press time, many of the community’s questions still remain unanswered.
Leaders of both the 45th Precinct Community Council and the City Island Civic Association were attempting to first obtain and then review the full text of the RFP recently.
Their goal is to determine if community requests regarding sound baffling and other matters are included in the design contract, organization leaders said.
The Bronx Times obtained a copy of the large document from a DDC spokesman.
It is an expansive 180-page document detailing the massive $275 million reconstruction RFP.
As directed by the DDC spokesman, page eight of the document, as well as several others, specifies its design goals when it comes to sound remediation.
“Reduction of noise levels on site and in surrounding neighborhoods is to be achieved,” states the RFP. “The design of the ranges will be required to provide sound reduction so that gunfire is in the range of ambient noise in adjacent neighborhoods.”
As of press time, neither the Bronx Times nor the community groups had fully reviewed the document.
Community groups have been requesting that some sort of sound remediation be done for range noise continually for about a quarter century.
Bob Bieder, 45th Precinct Community Council president, said that he and the council would like to have another meeting with the NYPD concerning sound baffling.
The precinct council had meetings in October 2016 and March 2017 with NYPD officials, according to a previous Bronx Times article.
Before bidding on the project is finished, Bieder would like the opportunity to make amendments to the RFP, if necessary, he said.
“We had a long discussion with NYPD as to what we would like, and now we have to see if it has been included,” said Bieder, adding that they have been told there is no update.
A CICA board member, John Doyle, promised a comprehensive review of the document. Doyle is also a board member of the 45th Precinct Community Council.
“Every step of the way we are going to be following this really closely and going through it with a fine tooth comb,” said Doyle.
Doyle said that temporary sound baffling has been something that has been proposed while the construction takes place, and that is something his organization is going to be looking for in the RFP and elsewhere.
“We feel that if temporary baffling could be installed and somewhat minimize the noise in the here and now, it would be a sign of progress,” he said.
