The first phase of construction for a long-awaited park on Westwoods Road in Wright City will cost about $1.6 million, according to bids reviewed by city aldermen on Dec. 29.
The future park …
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The first phase of construction for a long-awaited park on Westwoods Road in Wright City will cost about $1.6 million, according to bids reviewed by city aldermen on Dec. 29.
The future park property is located at the intersection of Westwoods and Wildcat Drive. City Administrator Jim Schuchmann said the first phase of work will primarily consist of tree removal, dirt moving, retaining wall construction, and water/sewer pipe installation in a 20-acre section where the city plans to build four baseball fields and associated park features,.
“Basically, it’s doing all of the site work to get ready to start ball field development and putting up buildings,” Schuchmann said. He added that before any major work gets done, temporary fencing will be erected to protect trees on the eastern side of the property which will be a permanent barrier between the park and nearby homes.
Eight companies submitted bids for the construction. KCI Construction was the low bidder at $1.62 million. That was followed by bids from JTL Construction at $1.67 million and Cannon Construction at $1.69 million.
The highest bid came from Fischer Grading at $2.59 million.
During a special session on Jan. 4, aldermen voted to award the contract to KCI Construction because it was the low bidder and has extensive park building experience, Board President Ramiz Hakim announced on through his Facebook page.
Alderman Nathan Rohr, who is an employee of KCI Construction, said before the decision that he would abstain from the selection of a contractor.
Work is expected to begin in early February in order to complete tree removal by March. Schuchmann said the clearing needs to be done by then in order to avoid harm to a protected species of migratory bats that roost in the area during the spring.
The full first phase of work has a completion date of July 2022, Schuchmann said. The ball fields will be completed in future phases from there, followed by development of the other 42 acres in the park. The city has eventual plans for walking trails, play areas and/or other sport courts.
City leaders plan to use the ball fields as a source of revenue by hosting regional tournaments to help subsidize the cost of that future development.
Speaking of subsidizing the project, Wright City also intends to apply for a funding grant from the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund to reimburse part of the cost of the park development. If approved, the grant could provide up to $500,000 for the park development, Schuchmann said.
Wright City already has a store of money set aside for the park development, thanks to the sale of the city’s water and sewer utilities in 2018. But aldermen said they also want to pursue outside funding in order to help the city’s dollars provide as much as possible for the park and other public projects.
Schuchmann explained that the grant funding does not need to be awarded before ground work begins at the park, since the grant would be reimbursement-based. However, a contractor bid needs to be selected so that a definite project cost can be included in the application.
