Maymont issues RFP for $10M infrastructure project

Maymont, a historic public park and estate in Richmond, issued a request for proposals this week for an estimated $10 million infrastructure improvement project for the Maymont Mansion and wildlife habitats.

Part of the Maymont 2025 campaign, the project includes replacing the roof of the mansion and modernizing its ventilation, fire suppression and safety. The project’s second scope is upgrading and retrofitting the park’s wildlife habitats, which house rescued native Virginia species, and adding habitats for two more species. Maymont plans to expand accessibility for disabled people and expand public viewing areas.

An $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Travel Tourism and Outdoor Recreation program will help fund the project. Maymont will raise $2 million in matching funds.

“The EDA grant program is intended to bolster tourism in the Central Virginia region, and these funds will help Maymont build resiliency and capacity to handle more visitors more safely, long into the future,” Maymont Foundation Executive Director Parke Richeson said in a statement. “As we approach Maymont’s 100th anniversary as a public space in 2025, this investment will ensure Maymont continues to delight, educate and inspire people for another hundred years.”

The chosen bidder will design and coordinate the project’s construction phase. Proposal submissions are due by Dec. 21. Maymont expects to announce the winning bidder in June 2023, with construction set to start in July 2023 and be completed by July 2024.

Maymont has completed several projects lately, renovating the Maymont Farm in 2017, expanding the Robins Nature Center in 2020 and opening a new welcome center and classroom in September.

Maymont is a 100-acre estate that James and Sallie Dooley, who lived there from 1893 to 1925, gave to the public. It has more than 800,000 guests annually. Since 1975, the Maymont Foundation has maintained and operated the estate.