A design contract for improvements at Newton Park (RGP project) must be rebid after a procedural error in the original bid packet, town staff told the Cultural and Environmental Learning Center Advisory Board on Aug. 28.

Staff said the solicitation unintentionally included a pricing sheet that bidders were not supposed to complete. Because of that addendum error, the town received a challenge to the award and will reissue the design solicitation; staff estimated the reprocurement will delay design by approximately 30 days.

Officials said the Newton Park project retains funding and will use conceptual drawings developed for prior planning (RGP conceptual plans) to speed the design phase once a designer is under contract. Staff described the planned work as including a large open pavilion/tiki area, lawn space intended to host events for up to several hundred people in the conceptual design, dune planting and a staging area for construction. A more permanent boundary fence will replace a temporary green wind fence at the site, and the town plans additional landscape and drainage work.

The project requires multiple approvals and interagency reviews; staff said the sequence includes Lee County and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reviews before final town approvals and contracting can proceed. That multi‑step review process was cited as a reason for schedule uncertainty. Staff said weekly coordination meetings with county and HUD representatives are ongoing.

Town staff noted that some funding is set aside for Newton Park work (estimates discussed in the meeting referenced roughly $2.6 million to $3.3 million available for the park), and that additional grant opportunities or matching funds could be evaluated for later phases. Staff also said other potential proposals discussed elsewhere in the meeting (a fitness court or public art) would be considered in future phases if funding and matching were available.

Board members asked about parking, ADA access and the timeline for construction. Staff said some funds are earmarked for sidewalk and road repairs and that a LeeTran seasonal trolley extension is planned for the 2026 season to improve access; that service would add a stop near Connecticut Street and an Overcool parking lot to better connect the Mound House area and Newton Park.

Staff indicated that design work will resume once the procurement challenge is resolved and that the town will return with schedule updates to advisory boards as milestones are reached.