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Athens approves contracts for Swan Creek Park renovation; work contingent on $1M grant match
Summary
Council approved multiple contracts for design and construction administration for the Swan Creek Park renovation and discussed inclusive playground and Miracle Field‑style accessible features; the contracts are pending a grant match and funded from 2024 general obligation warrants.
City Council approved several agreements July 14 advancing design and construction documents for a full renovation of Swan Creek Park, but the measures were explicitly tied to pending grant approval and will return to council if the grant is not received.
The council approved a contract not to exceed $423,275 for design development, construction documents and construction administration services (listed in the meeting as a contract with ALTA/Halter), and a separate architectural services agreement with AMBI (AMBI Studios) not to exceed $215,155, both described in the record as “pending grant approval” and to be funded from the proceeds of the 2024 general obligation warrants.
Council members and staff discussed inclusivity and park elements during the meeting. Mayor Marks and parks staff said Sunrise Park’s current and upcoming construction includes features designed for users with mobility disabilities, and Will Hargrove, speaking as a parks planner, described inclusive elements already scoped for Swan Creek Park. Hargrove said planners have “scoped a playground” and intend stakeholder engagement with the special‑needs community, and he described a wheelchair‑accessible ball field similar in design intent to a “Miracle Field.” He said the park would be accessible to people of varying ages and abilities and that staff planned engagement with affected users to refine specific features.
Council members clarified the conditional nature of the contracts. One council member asked whether the contracts would proceed if the grant were not approved; staff and the mayor said that, as written, the contracts are pending the grant and would come back to council if the grantor denied funding.
The council approved the resolutions on 5‑0 recorded votes. Additional smaller contract actions tied to Sunrise Park—specifically a contract for on‑call construction administration at Sunrise Park not to exceed $55,200—were also approved and funded from the same 2024 general obligation warrants. The record shows the city intends to use the general obligation proceeds as the local match if the grant is awarded.
No construction schedule or final budgets for capital work were adopted at the meeting; staff said a master plan exists and would be provided to council members for review. Council members asked for presentations of the master plans so they could see design details before work proceeds.
