Category: Gateway Page 1 of 3

• The pavilion and ramp foundation walls have been completed
• Sitework related to utility installation (water, electric and storm drain) is getting underway.
• Next week, the maintenance of traffic plan along Edgewood Road will be implemented so that demolition of the existing curb and sidewalk and installation of new can begin.
• Shop drawings for the pavilion have been approved and offsite fabrication will begin soon.

An early October completion date is anticipated. I’ll keep you posted as the project approaches completion.

Some of you have asked for an update about the Gateway Park project at the  corner of Route 1 and Edgewood Road.

The City Council awarded the construction contract a few months back. Accordingly, the final construction was expected to start in this fall. Unfortuantely, the right-of-entry/acquisition issues (from 47th Place) took some time to get resolved. Thankfully, those issues have now been solved, permits have been obtained and a Notice to Proceed was given.

Due to the start of winter, the contract has been extended to  September 1 at no extra cost.  Administrative work and off-site building fabrication will be ongoing.

The Projects page of the new City website will begin to receive regular updates on projects.  Please check there regularly for updates as well.  Thank you for your patience.

Recently, the City Council approved the final design of the Gateway Park at the intersection of Route 1 and Edgewood Road. Here you can find the detailed design on City’s website…

At tomorrow’s meeting, the Council will consider awarding the construction contract of the Gateway Park project. This project is going for around 10 years and the Council action will hopefully help take the project near the finish line. We completely understand and acknowledge that the community had varying degrees of reactions about the project over the years, however, let’s hope that project ends soon so that the neighbors can enjoy this amenity and we, as a community, can move forward to other exciting projects ahead of us.

For the past few weeks, the City Council has been discussing different ways to cut the construction cost of the Gateway Park project. This cost-cutting effort is in addition to what the previous Council unanimously agreed to reduce the construction budget last year.

According to staff, some minor cost saving may be achieved by removing certain features from the pavilion portion of the park.

The covered pavilion is intended to provide important space for the community to gather and socialize. Additionally, it is designed to serve as a quality landmark for the visitors who enter the city through this busy gateway of the city. Without the pavilion, visitors will hardly see the park, due to its unique configuration.

The current pavilion design ($387K) includes bamboo cladding, lighting, and roofline. According to Council’s direction, staff has obtained cost estimates on a few options.

(1) Eliminate bamboo and replace with wood cladding, eliminate hanging bamboo, change supports from diagonal to orthogonal, eliminate front door, change storage door to wood (a saving of $60K)

(2) Make pavilion smaller, change roof line to be more orthogonal (a saving of $20K)

(3) Convert steel structure to timber frame (a saving of $50K) .

Options 1 and 2 will need a re-design structure, pavilion will have to be re-priced, and permit will need revisions. The lost time may impact schedule. In addition to a redesign and architecture, option 3 will require that the project will have to be re-bid, as bids will have expired. The bids for this design will be valid until July 26, 2018.

At the last meeting, staff was asked to explore another option about not installing the pavilion at this time but install it at some time in future. According to the architect, installing the pavilion at a later date would require disturbance (and potentially damage) to installed work including the terrace, the pervious pavement and plantings.

Additionally, the staging of new construction may remove the park from use while the pavilion is installed. Furthermore, the water meter, electrical panel and other features in the current design will need to be relocated if the pavilion is not installed.

Existing funding for the project is provided through State Program Open Space (POS) in the amount of $672,057 with a required local match of $225,018 for a total of $897,075. The City’s match is currently funded in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The City’s FY2019 POS allocation for development could provide an additional $192,746 for the project, if needed.

At tonight’s meeting, the Council will discuss options to cut cost and may consider approving future direction. If approved, the construction will move forward this year.

At the April 19 meeting, the City Council discussed different ways to cut the cost of the Gateway project. The This happened after the City found that an additional money will need to be added to the budget in order to proceed with the project. The Council discussed several options to cut cost by removing some features from the pavilion and staff has been in touch with the architect to obtain cost estimates on these options.

Related to the same project, the Council will hold a public hearing about the acquisition of the property located at 9814 47th Place as part of building the proposed Gateway Park. The City Council approved a contract of sale to acquire the property for a public purpose and authorized the Mayor to sign the contract. The proposed use of the property is to preserve open space and provide for installation and maintenance of, and access to, a City park.

At last night’s meeting, the City Council discussed different ways to cut cost of the Gateway project.

This happened after the City found that an additional $350,000 will need to be added to the budget in order to proceed with the project. Nine bids were received ranging in price from $868,747 – $1,359,890. These bids are still under review and the Council was hoping to award the construction a construction contract award at the May 1, 2018 Council Worksession.

A meeting was held with project consultants to discuss value engineering opportunities for the pavilion since actual costs far exceeded the cost estimate. The pavilion is constructed primarily of steel and bamboo and the recent imposition of steel tariffs has introduced a lot of volatility in market prices.

At last night’s meeting, the staff has been directed to consult with the architect to find a few options to bring down the construction cost. Staff is expected to report to the Council in a few weeks.