Council backs bid process for paving at Jones and Indian parks after parks board offers $25,000

City officials discussed paving parking at Jones Park and Indian Park and directed staff to obtain bids and return to the council for approval. Mr. Rasmussen said paving both park parking areas would cost about $176,000 and reported that the parks board had offered to donate $25,000 toward the work. The mayor said the parks board wanted to retain the $25,000 for facilities improvements and recommended using transportation-tax funds for the parking work; staff reported the transportation tax account had about $1,850,000 available. Council members and staff clarified the scope: paving would include the gravel parking at the Indian Park soccer fields and reconfiguring angled parking at Jones Park to make parking safer and more orderly; staff said some marking and striping decisions (center stripe, lane width) would be part of design and that the city may do some work in-house. Staff said the project likely must be sent out for bid because of the dollar amount and that bids will be brought back to council for approval. No formal appropriation or vote to spend funds occurred at the meeting.