University City to proceed with expanded Pershing Avenue reconstruction after budget review

Deputy City Manager Brooke Sharp told the University City City Council on April 28 that the Pershing Avenue reconstruction project’s scope and cost have increased since the city applied for a federal East‑West Gateway grant in 2021, and staff recommends proceeding with the larger scope now that trees removed for the work are gone.

The change matters because the federal grant amount remains fixed at $1,119,728, Sharp said, so the city’s share rose from an anticipated $223,945 to as much as $909,885 if the higher‑cost alternate for exposed‑aggregate concrete is selected. Sharp said Cochran’s engineering fees of $296,760 also fall to the city under Supplemental Agreement No. 12 and are not reimbursable by the grant.

Sharp said the original application proposed spot sidewalk, curb and gutter replacement; later documents showed a full replacement that increased quantities and triggered higher costs. That full replacement required removing trees along Pershing, she said, and tree removal had to be done within a November 1–March 31 window because of a bat species living in the trees.

Sharp summarized current cost estimates: a base construction bid of $1,569,058.25 (city construction share $449,330) and an alternate including exposed aggregate concrete at $1,732,363.05 (city construction share $612,665.05). Adding Cochran’s nonreimbursable fees yields projected city obligations of about $746,550.25 (base) to $909,885.05 (alternate), she said.

Sharp told the council that the city manager recommends funding the city share from the Capital Improvement Fund, citing a curb and sidewalk line with about $900,000 available. She outlined schedule steps: submittal to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), an estimated one to two months for MoDOT plan review, one month for bidding, another one to two months for MoDOT bid review, then a contractor bond and council award. Cochran estimated construction could start six to eight months after plan submittal.

Mayor Crowe and several council members said they want the work completed quickly. Council Member Fuller asked why the exposed aggregate option was included; Sharp said staff initially believed the municipal code required exposed aggregate but later determined it is not required and that the bid includes the more expensive finish only as an alternate so the project would not be delayed.

Sharp recommended moving forward with the change in scope, and City Manager Ray Rose said council consensus was to submit plans to MoDOT and try to accelerate the schedule.

Council members and staff asked for a final clarified dollar figure and for staff to return with formal bid recommendations and an award resolution when bids are returned. Sharp and Rose said staff would present those formal actions when ready.

The matter remains a staff‑recommended scope change with funding to be taken from the Capital Improvement Fund; no final bid award or adopted ordinance was recorded during the April 28 meeting.