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Smithville shifts several CIP projects; staff urges early engineering for Smiths Fork park complex
Summary
City staff updated the Board of Aldermen on CIP schedule changes including higher roundabout engineering costs, Riverwalk & Trail schedule shifts and a proposal to move Smiths Fork Park Complex engineering into 2026 to study phasing and alternative delivery.
City staff updated the Board of Aldermen on changes to the capital-improvement program that shifted several projects and increased some engineering allocations, and urged beginning engineering work for the Smiths Fork Park Complex sooner to allow phasing and alternative delivery methods.
The Board was told that the First & Bridge Street roundabout engineering allocation rose to $220,000 (the city's share is 50% under current cost-sharing assumptions) after cost increases. Staff also said the Riverwalk & Trail construction and Second Creek sidewalks moved from fiscal 2025 into 2026 (with Riverwalk work likely spanning 2026—627), and that certain projects would be split across years because of grant calendars and fiscal-year timing.
On parks, staff outlined a self-imposed savings strategy to reach a large Smiths Fork Park Complex goal. "When the parks and recreation master plan was completed, we've been... put $300,000 in savings over the next few years so that we could meet that 2028 goal of getting close to the $2,200,000 that, at the time in 2020 was predicted for that project," the parks presenter said. Staff said rising construction costs mean the project likely will exceed that earlier estimate and recommended starting engineering in 2026 to evaluate alternatives, phasing and possibly a design-build delivery.
A staff presenter described the pros of alternative delivery for large projects: "Instead of the engineers... we end up with... a plan that the contractor changes in the field. With design-build, you would sit down, the contractor would say up front, this is how the project should get done, and we don't have to... spend all this money on engineering for a plan that we're not even going to follow," the staff member said. The board discussed phasing constraints for ball fields and that some park elements cannot be built one at a time without affecting other fields or features.
Staff also reviewed transportation and pavement priorities, noting a modest adjustment to the transportation sales-tax cash flow tied to the roundabout engineering increase and that the transportation fund is intended to be spent on projects (it carries no formal reserve). For parks and stormwater, staff said moving Smiths Fork engineering into 2026 increases 2026 expenses by roughly $900,000 when combined with the Riverwalk schedule shift.
Staff asked for direction to proceed with engineering and to evaluate alternative delivery methods and phasing; board members supported scheduling another work session to review master-plan details and to bring HDR or other consultants in for briefings. No formal action was taken at the work session; staff will return with refined scopes, phasing options and cost estimates.
