Candidates for Fort Monroe landscape architect firm take bicycle tour | With Video

Local landscape architects tour Ft. Monroe to learn about the areas that are being considered for new landscaping.

HAMPTON With a master plan in place, Fort Monroe officials are looking for a landscape architect firm with experience creating public trails, who can create programs for green areas and who have worked on other National Park Service sites.

Experience riding a bicycle isn't required, but it's recommended.

Fort Monroe officials gave prospective bidders a 90-minute bike tour of the 565-acre property Wednesday afternoon. The Fort Monroe Authority is seeking landscape architects to take the property's master plan and create programs and activities within existing spaces on under-utilized sites.

Keith Oliver, a principal at Norfolk-based InSites Landscape Architecture, said he visited Fort Monroe as a child, but never had the opportunity to ride around the property on a bicycle.

He was among the 31 prospective bidders for the project to sign in at the gathering.

"It really is a ground-breaking project to work on," Oliver said. "I don't know of anything like it around here."

Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Glenn Oder said the winning firm must be within a day's drive of the property, which excluded Sasaki Associates, the Boston-based company that created the fort's master plan.

"This is going to be an interactive relationship with the Fort Monroe staff," Oder said. "The further away you are, the more challenging it becomes."

The entrance is one of the sites authority officials believe is vital to create an impression on residents and visitors.

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Candidates for Fort Monroe landscape architect firm take bicycle tour | With Video