Board approves supplemental funds, GMP amendment for AC Kaplan ball-field renovation after trash/landfill issues found

The Edmond Capital Improvements Projects Advisory Board on Oct. 21 approved a budget amendment to move $165,201.35 from 2017 CIP reserves into the budget and approved a related guaranteed maximum price (GMP) amendment to cover trash removal and clean-fill placement at the AC Kaplan (Hayford Park) ball-field renovation project.

Parks and Recreation Director Bridal Rainey told the board the project uses a construction-manager-at-risk delivery but the trash-removal work was bid as unit-price items because the site had previously been used as a landfill and hidden conditions were discovered during construction. Rainey said the remediation involves removing contaminated or trash material, transporting it to a landfill in Oklahoma City, and bringing in engineered clean fill to cap the areas; doing a full excavation would have been “millions of dollars.”

Rainey and staff said the remediation primarily affects fields 8, 9, and 10 and that the work should be the last GMP amendment for the project. Staff said the project was funded by a mix of CIP dollars, park tax transfers (about $750,000 transferred earlier), and more than $2 million in ARPA funds. The board approved moving reserves into the budget and the GMP amendment.

Board members asked about the project’s placement on the 2017 CIP priority list; staff said improvements to city sports facilities are listed in the 2017 priorities and that the project has been under way since about 2017. Staff and Rainey said most construction will be finished in December–January with sod and landscaping dependent on spring weather; they anticipate full opening and use in 2026.

The board voted to approve the budget amendment and the GMP amendment to allow the remediation work to proceed.