PRC discusses Lions Legacy Pavilion design, DNR grant and procurement questions

The Village of Cross Plains Parks and Recreation Committee discussed detailed engineering, grant conditions and procurement risks for the planned Lions Legacy Pavilion at Zander Community Nature Park during its Feb. 10 meeting.

Committee members and village staff said the project has advanced to engineering drawings after the project sponsor reached an 85% fundraising milestone. Village staff reported a formal award letter from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for $249,000, which staff said clears the way to move into the next design and procurement phases but does not resolve several timing and cost risks.

Why it matters: the pavilion is the largest single park structure the village has pursued recently and includes federal- and state-style grant conditions, utility work and site landscaping that must be approved by the DNR before major purchases or construction begin.

Staff told the committee that the largest line-item is the prefabricated “Polygon” shelter the village plans to buy through Sourcewell procurement. Project figures provided in the meeting packet showed earlier Polygon pricing near $190,000 and more recent vendor estimates around $310,000. Staff said they had received Polygon’s engineering-only work product for design of foundations and footings and had authorized engineering of the shelter (listed in meeting materials as $500 to Polygon for shelter-specific engineering). Staff said Polygon’s manufacturing lead-time to produce the shelter after order is about six to 12 weeks.

Those timing and price facts intersect with grant rules and the village’s planned contractor bidding. Staff cautioned that DNR grant approval typically requires submission of final construction drawings and landscaping/erosion-control plans before grant-funded purchases are made. That sequence leaves the village with two main risks: if staff purchases the shelter early to lock price or avoid tariffs, DNR may require design changes and deny reimbursement; if staff waits for DNR approval, construction contractors may be unavailable or charge premiums because of a compressed schedule. Staff also noted that the sponsor’s fundraising campaign had told donors the campaign target was reached, so there is limited flexible contingency funding from that source.

The packet materials and discussion covered many implementation details: the shelter footprint (selected as 30-by-40 or 40-by-40 in designs), options for roof and post colors (committee members discussed black uprights and copper/“champagne metallic” roofs), drainage and landscaping to avoid added stormwater runoff to the creek, lighting and audio rough-ins (10 lighting locations and two speaker locations were listed), accessible flat concrete floor (no raised stage), and the plan to route electrical along the bridge corridor to avoid running conduit under the creek.

Staff recommended proceeding with bidding for site work and construction contracts but not purchasing the shelter until DNR sign-off is in hand. The committee did not take a procurement vote and staff said they would list the item as “no action at this time.”

Next steps noted in the meeting: finalize Polygon engineer submittals, submit construction drawings and landscape/erosion-control plans to the DNR for review, complete the public-facing color/finish decision for the shelter and prepare bid documents for site work (earthwork, foundations, concrete and electrical) so that construction can begin once the shelter arrives and grants are finalized.

The committee also discussed parking and future restroom locations, possible stage or removable stage pieces to support programming, and how electrical conduit placed for the pavilion could also enable future path or boardwalk lighting.

Ending: Staff will return with updated engineer drawings and a procurement recommendation after DNR review; the committee recorded no formal action on the pavilion at the Feb. 10 meeting.