Approve Construction Management Services for The Waterfront Waterplay Project 

The purpose of this case is to authorize H + U Construction for construction management services for The Waterfront project—and also, to authorize staff and H + U to obtain quotes for mass grading of the site this Fall. 

In September, the City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the water play plaza and associated improvements at The Waterfront. Three pre-qualified firms were invited to submit proposals, and on October 13th, a panel consisting of city staff and Damon Farber Landscape Architects' representative conducted a thorough interview of two firms, and unanimously determined that H & U Construction is ideally suited for all the work to be performed in the coming months at the park.  H + U will work with the Project Team (City staff and Damon Farber Landscape Architects as the DESIGN TEAM) to provide pre-construction and construction services including cost and schedule estimating, bidding, and day-to-day construction management for the complex park project. (Damon Farber will still provide all the professional design services, to include preliminary design, concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documents and construction administration as they were engaged to do earlier this year.)

On October 21st, 2025, the Public Works Committee recommended to City Council, approval of a contractual agreement with H + U Construction for construction management services for The Waterfront waterplay park improvement project, in the form of a Construction Manager at Risk agreement.

Attached is the city-issued RFP which provides considerable detail on the scope, timing, and responsibilities of and for the construction management firm. The second attachment is H + U's proposal, which includes a schedule (work plan on page 4), which responds to the RFP and challenges of this approximately $5M park project.

Construction Management Services
As indicated, this case is to authorize a contractual agreement with H + U Construction for construction management services for The Waterfront waterplay park improvement project. That standard form is included as the third attachment, AIA Document A133-2019. This agreement includes an estimated fee schedule consisting of two parts—Preconstruction & Bidding Phase Services, and Construction & Closeout Phase Services.

The Preconstruction & Bidding Phase Services will be a not-to-exceed amount of $50,000, and that scope of work is described in the city-issued RFP, and also reflected in H + U's proposal and Schedule.  These preconstruction services may be summarized as cost estimating, constructability reviews, schedule validation, and value engineering recommendations to ensure delivery of the overall project within the established budget (yet to be determined) and the July completion schedule.

The Construction & Closeout Phase Services is also included in Document A133-2019 but as an estimate. At the time the preconstruction and bidding services are concluding, H + U will issue a Guaranteed Maximum Price—the agreement will then return to City Council for acceptance of GMP and corresponding amendment of the agreement. To reiterate, this case authorizes entering into an agreement with H + U Construction for the preconstruction services for a not-to-exceed amount, which will enable the Design Team (now to include the construction manager) to complete the Plans and Specifications for competitive bidding, at which time H + U will issue the GMP which would then be considered for acceptance by Council in January, along with final approvals to complete the park project. 

For the meeting; staff will present imagery of the considerable progress on plans for the park project, highlight near-term activity of the Design Team—and describe the necessity of performing the mass grading this Fall, to prepare for full-on construction to begin in February/March 2026. 

The estimates in the table below are provided to communicate the work that has been approved and underway, as well as moving forward, beginning with the *preconstruction phase wherein H + U Construction will prepare detailed cost estimates for this project.

 

Preliminary Cost Forecast (informational only)—does not include O & M

Activity/Work	Investment (estimate or approved amount)	Timeline
Design, engineering, plans and specifications — Damon Farber Architects	$269k	Approved June 2025
Restroom and support building — design, fabrication and delivery (not on-site construction)	$305k	Approved Sept. 2025
Sewer and water service lines	$148k	Approved Sept. 2025
*Construction management services and General Conditions	$50k - $700k	Pending: October '25, January '26
Mass grading, import class 5 to site	$120k	Pending: November '25
Owner procured shelters (3) and outdoor furnishings (eliminates construction manager fees)	$1.1M	Pending: Dec. '25/Jan. '26
SAC/WAC, permitting, owner contingency, signage etc.	$600k	Pending: Feb. '26/July '26
Construction costs (all trades and scope)	$2.4M	Pending: Feb. '26/July '26
.............................................................................................................................................................	..................................................	..................................................................
Running budget estimate (preliminary and informational only) — all costs totaled over time	$4.6M to $5.6M	2025 through 2026

 

The Construction Management Services that this case discusses, would be funded by the Park Trust Fund.

 

The Public Works Committee and staff recommends entering into a contractual agreement with H + U Construction for construction management services for The Waterfront waterplay park improvement project, in the form of a Construction Manager at Risk agreement.

Motion to approve a contract with H + U Construction for construction management services for The Waterfront waterplay park improvement project, at a not-to-exceed amount of $50,000, until amended in January 2026.