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City awards $15.02 million contract for East Riverfront Phase 1 after scope reductions
Summary
After low bids exceeded estimates, the commission approved a revised award to Owens/Ames/Kimball for Grand River East Riverfront Phase 1 with a not-to-exceed total of $17.97 million; the city said most funding comes from a DGRI greenway grant with local ARPA and capital match.
The city commission on March 11 approved a construction contract for the Grand River East Riverfront Phase 1 — a project to build riverside paths, green space and kayak access along the east riverfront near the amphitheater — approving a low-postaddendum award of $15,020,504 and a total not-to-exceed authorization of $17,970,196.
Why it matters: The project creates a roughly half-mile river-edge pathway, about 4.5 acres of green space, seating overlooking the river and a kayak launch adjacent to the under-construction amphitheater. City staff said the work will also provide circulation and an additional access point to the amphitheater.
Bids, scope changes and funding: Four bids were received; the lowest initial bid exceeded the engineer’s estimate by roughly $4.7 million. City staff and project partners (Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., DGRI, and consultants) reviewed options and recommended removing nonessential amenities — swing benches, certain pavers and a catenary lighting system — to reduce cost. After a post-bid addendum, the contract award was reduced to $15,020,504. The commission approved a not-to-exceed total of $17,970,196 to allow for contingency and change orders.
Funding sources: Staff said the project will be funded primarily by a $16.8 million greenway grant secured by DGRI, with the remainder coming from city capital improvement funds, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and flood-wall bond funds.
Local participation: Staff noted there were no qualifying micro-local-business-enterprise (MLBE) bid discounts available for this award due to funding requirements tied to ARPA dollars; staff said they continue to encourage local contractor involvement through outreach programs but that capacity constraints and bid categories limited MLB participation for this contract.
Outcome: The commission approved the award and the funding authorization. Staff may revisit scope in the future if additional funding becomes available and could re-add certain amenities at that time.
Ending: Work will proceed under the awarded contract with contingency authorization; staff will continue outreach to encourage local participation on future contracts and will monitor costs as construction advances.
