Initiate Playground Development for Neighborhood Park in the Riverstone South Subdivision

A 243 lot residential subdivision was approved by the City in 2021 entitled Riverstone South—and is generally south of Hwy's #10 & #169 and north of the Bowers Drive residential area.  As part of the planning process in 2020-21 it was determined that Park Dedication for the new plat would consist of one acre for a neighborhood park, and $350,000 in cash for the park's development.

The purpose of this case is to recommend to City Council the purchase and installation of the first (and most exciting) play structure component—the 75' foot zip line, that is consistent with the concept plans for the park that the Commission approved late in 2022.

Substantial public engagement, workshops and Public Hearings occurred in 2020 and 2021 leading up to the plat's approval.

One of the stated goals for the park in this location was to preserve the existing trees—and then to incorporate the trees with the playground elements.  The approved concept plan (attached) is the result of considerable planning to achieve these goals and to remain within the $350,000 park development budget. Presently staff is in the process of finalizing the Request for Proposals (RFP) such that some of the playground elements can be necessarily competitively bid upon; specifically the elevated boardwalk, which will include procuring the materials, and associated labor and construction costs.

The anticipated play equipment components to be attached to the boardwalk (attachment 4) are available from the State Bid Contract and do not need to go through the competitive bidding process. These components are likely to be purchased by the City directly, with the boardwalk contractor attaching and integrating them into the larger elevated boardwalk platforms. The aforementioned zip line is one of these components available from the State Contract. To be clear, no play equipment components would be purchased as part of this case, except the zip line.

Because the RFP has not been issued yet to solicit bids for the larger playground project, the availability of materials, costs and the construction timeline are not known. However, new families are moving into the subdivision, and so staff proposes moving forward with the zip line at this time, such that this stand-alone play structure can be ordered and installed in the park, potentially before the children are out of school for the Summer. The State Contract amount for the zip line is $18,140 (with shipping) and the installation $6,800. There would also need to be about $4,000 in Engineered Wood Fiber installed underneath it.

If the Commission agrees that advancing the $29,000 zip line aspect of the park development makes sense, the request for approval would go before City Council at their April 25th 2023 regular meeting. The other elements of the park development will be forthcoming to the Commission as soon as they are available for consideration, with subsequent recommendation to the Council.

Additional information will be presented at the meeting.

 

The funding source is the $350,000 in Park Dedication fees paid by the Developer of Riverstone South.

Staff recommends initiating the playground development in the park by fast-tracking the purchase and installation of the zip line at an estimated total of $29,000.  The rest of the park's development would return to the Commission as a complete package in the coming month(s).

Motion to recommend to City Council a not-to-exceed amount of $29,000 for the zip line for the neighborhood park in Riverstone South.