Board places Garrison Springs Trail contract on first reading; final award deferred

The City of Ozark Board of Aldermen voted to place bill 3689 on first reading by title only, moving forward a contract award for phase 1 of the Garrison Springs Trail while deferring final action to a future meeting. The measure was introduced for first reading by Alderman Alvin Galloway and seconded by Alderman Alvin Campbell; members approved the motion by show of hands.

Public Works Director Jeremy Parson, who presented the project to the board, described the trail as a long-planned element of the city’s parks and pedestrian master plans that will connect Third Street to an existing stamped-concrete section at Garrison Springs. “This is a team effort,” Parson said during his presentation.

Parson said the engineering is complete and the city received three qualified bids. The project was packaged with a base bid and three alternates to allow phased construction. The base bid covers 1,815 linear feet; alternate 1 adds 1,185 feet, bringing base-plus-alt1 to roughly 3,000 feet of trail. A remaining 706-foot segment identified by staff will require additional work on culverts and other hydrology items and was described as significantly more expensive per linear foot.

Parson told aldermen the city recommended awarding the contract as base bid plus alternate 1 to reach what he called a “gateway to serenity” into the wooded area behind Findlay River Park. He said the design is ADA compliant and that awarding base-plus-alt1 “will get us into the woods” even though it will not complete the final 706-foot section.

Parson said staff reallocated Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) urban funds—including funds originally packaged for Highway CC—to help pay for the trail and accelerate other priorities such as improvements on 20 Second Street. Parson also noted the city coordinated with the Ozark Transportation Organization and MoDOT on the project’s right-of-way and grading opportunities.

Parson identified Radmacher Brothers Excavating Company, Inc., as the contractor staff recommends for the work and said Radmacher’s representative, Darren McElroy, was present in the chamber. Parson praised Radmacher’s performance on recent city phases and said their involvement made the project more attractive to staff.

Aldermen asked clarifying questions about the stationing and linear footage; Parson reiterated the base/alternate breakdown and said staff selected base-plus-alt1 because it provided the best trail length for the funds available. Parson explained that the most expensive remaining section (the 706-foot piece) involves complex hydrology and additional culverts and will be pursued later through grant applications.

The formal action at the meeting was limited to placing bill 3689 on first reading by title only. After discussion and a call for public comment, the clerk stated, “Bill number 3689, we hold to our future meeting,” indicating the board took no final vote to award the contract during this session.

Next steps identified in the meeting: final contract approval will require further board action at a future meeting and staff said the pre-existing designs for the remaining segment should strengthen future grant applications.

Details: the project was described as approximately 3,000 feet with base bid = 1,815 ft, alt 1 = 1,185 ft, and remaining 706 ft requiring additional hydrology work; the trail is designed to ADA standards and intended to improve connectivity to Findlay River Park and the planned Garrison Springs Nature Center.