St. John Park Board approves SEH engineering contract for Gates Park pavilion and restrooms after questions

The St. John Park Board on Feb. 18 approved a not-to-exceed $76,050 agreement with Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) to provide engineering and bid-preparation services for a pavilion and two permanent restrooms at Gates Park.

Board members questioned why SEH would hire an architect rather than perform the work in-house, why the lump-sum fee appeared to be more than 10% of the estimated construction cost, and whether the town should pursue a design–build approach. Gabe, a project representative on the call, said SEH will hire CSK Architects for building design, will perform on-site topo and utility routing, and will prepare the bid documents. He said a previously considered prefab building option was both more expensive and had a long delivery lead time.

"We feel that we can do it for much cheaper than the prefab and that we can actually get it on the books as far as gonna get done way faster and way cheaper with the same quality as well," Gabe said. He and other staff said the $76,050 figure covers detailed surveying, mapping of water and sewer routes and preparation of construction-ready documents; the actual construction contract would be solicited separately and priced later.

A board member raised concern that the lump-sum design fee was "a little bit over 10% of the total project cost," and another said the amount "seems like a lot," noting that design firms sometimes return with change orders. Board members asked whether a design–build procurement had been considered; staff replied it had not been used for this project. Gabe said SEH had previously priced a prefab option that was both costly and estimated to be six to eight months out, which prompted the current recommendation for a stick-built solution with SEH preparing bid specifications.

After a short motion to defer and follow-up questions, a motion was amended to approve SEH's professional-services agreement not to exceed $76,050. The amended motion passed 4-0.

Board members and staff also reviewed other Gates Park work during the meeting. Gabe and town staff reported the following near-term statuses: lights and power connections for the skatepark are expected to be connected Thursday with the goal of being operational by Friday; shade structures and concrete work around the playground should be completed in the coming weeks; pickleball courts are delayed by weather but expected to follow soon; and water and sewer routing to at least one restroom location appears to be a more complex element of the project that SEH will map as part of design.

Next steps described by staff include SEH producing detailed drawings and bid documents, and the town later soliciting construction bids. The board did not approve construction contracts at the Feb. 18 meeting; construction timeline and final costs will depend on the subsequent bidding process.