PRPL is seeking City Council consent to purchase new playground equipment for Stewart Park from Grondahl Recreation who is an authorized Sourcewell Cooperative purchasing agent Contract # 101625-BUR. Playground equipment cost as proposed by Grondahl Recreation is $399,018.70. Project will be funded through the approved CIP 2026 Budget.

PRPL seeks City Council consent to purchase new playground equipment for Stewart Park from Grondahl Recreation utilizing the Sourcewell state purchasing contract. Playground purchase and installation will cost $399,018.70. Funding will come from the previously approved FY26 CIP budget of $400,000. Not approving the purchase of new equipment will ultimately result in the removal of the existing playground due to unsafe conditions.

Replacement of the Stewart Park Playground was approved in the CIP2026 Budget. Playground replacement is due to failing equipment, age, use, and parts availability. It has exceeded the manufacturer's suggested life expectancy and replacement parts are becoming harder to obtain due to the age of the playground. The new proposed playground was selected by a committee made up of various city employees and citizens of Billings.

Sourcewell is a national cooperative purchasing organization that helps local governments, schools, and nonprofits streamline procurement by offering competitively solicited contracts for a wide range of products and services. By leveraging collective buying power, Sourcewell enables local governments to save time and money, ensuring compliance with competitive bidding requirements while accessing pre-negotiated pricing and trusted suppliers.

 Procurement of the equipment will be through the cooperative purchasing agreement (Sourcewell) with Grondahl Recreation, as the pricing is similar to competitive bid pricing. CIP budget for 2026 allotted $400,000 to purchase a new playground and have it installed. The current price for the equipment is $399,018.70. PRPL will be responsible for removing the old playground in preparation for the new one. PRPL does not expect to hire any FTEs. Maintenance costs is expected to decrease in the short term but have a minor increase over time as the playground will begin to need replacement parts.

The City of Billings
PRPL
Citizens of Billings
Legion Baseball
Billings Softball Association 
Users of Stewart Park 
 

City Council may:
Approve the use of CIP 2026 funds to purchase new playground equipment
Not Approve resulting in the continued decay of the current playground and ultimately resulting in the playground being removed due to unsafe conditions.