Council OKs Construction on Riverside Fields Park

After two years of delays and false starts, the city is finally moving forward with plans to improve Riverside Fields Park.

The city will soon embark on Phase II of the park's development. The concept for the park at Foothill Trail and Crossings Boulevard initially included two tennis courts, hockey rink with basketball court, skating area, sand volleyball, playground and a picnic shelter/warming house. The plan was originally approved in 2011, said Parks and Recreation Director Jamie Polley, and the playground was installed that same year.

For one reason or another the rest of the park construction has been put off during the intervening years, however. In late spring of last year, the project was put out for bid, but got only two offers, both of which were far to expensive, Polley said. According to city documents from that time, the lowest bid was about $93,000 higher than the city's stated construction budget of $554,600. The council decided to reject the bids and try again in 2013.

The city reopened the project for bidding on April 9. This time around the city got six bids. The lowest bid ($630,218.86 by Northwest Asphalt, Inc.) was about $75,000 more than the city's construction budget.

In order to keep the project on budget, Polley recommended that the council tweak the plan by eliminating the hockey rink paving and replacing the sand volleyball court with a 1/2-size basketball court. With these amendments, the project will be $569,921, about $44,000 under budget. 

The council unanimously voted to award the bid to Northwest and amend the construction plan at its April 16 meeting, with no discussion. Construction will begin on the park no later than June 11.