Kirksville approves SWT design contracts for North Park and Rock Lake, awards PC Mill splash pad bid

The Kirksville City Council on first consideration approved contracts with SWT Design to create site plans for the North Park complex and the Rock Lake Conservation Area and later accepted a bid from Lawson Construction to build the PC Mill Park splash pad, a precast restroom, parking improvements and related facilities.

The approvals mark the city’s first formal design steps for two park projects and move the PC Mill splash pad into the construction phase. Parks and recreation staff described the SWT contracts as the start of a phased process that will prioritize community input and produce documents the city can use to advance construction bidding.

"We've been talking a long time about how to get that soccer complex off the ground, and this is definitely the first step," Robert Harden, Parks and Recreation director, told the council after the North Park resolution was read. Harden said the council previously allocated seed money from the Kirks Capital Campaign to begin the project and that staff received 13 responses to the request for qualifications for the North Park design.

SWT Design partner Jay told the council the firm's scope emphasizes community engagement and producing both conceptual and implementable design documents. "We were thinking 6 to 8 months is probably the timeline," Jay said when asked about schedule, adding that additional topographic survey work could extend the timeframe.

For the Rock Lake Conservation Area, staff said the city received eight RFQ responses and selected SWT through the same competitive process. City staff negotiated a slightly expanded scope for Rock Lake that includes construction documents for an initial parking project so the city can bid work sooner.

On the splash pad project at PC Mill Park, city staff recommended accepting Lawson Construction's bid after two earlier bid rounds produced no qualified bids. Robin (Parks staff) told the council the restroom component—provided as a precast concrete unit—carries the longest lead time; staff estimated a six- to eight-month lead time on restrooms and said the restroom must be in place to house controls for the splash pad.

All three items passed by voice vote. Council members who moved and seconded the respective motions are recorded in the meeting minutes. Staff said contracts will return to the city manager for signature and work will begin once contractual and procurement steps are complete.

The city plans public engagement on the North Park concepts, including outreach to local soccer stakeholders, and will schedule site surveys and follow-on design phases for both parks. Construction timing for the PC Mill splash pad will depend on restroom delivery and contractor scheduling.