City staff presented an initial Phase 1 plan for Ben Hill Strickland Park and brought multiple park maintenance and capital items to the Hiram City Council, including recommended bid awards for restroom renovations and a new pavilion.

Public Works Director Michael (first name only in the transcript) told council the Ben Hill proposal prioritizes maintenance and operations to extend the life of existing amenities while preserving wetland and forested conservation areas. The plan recommends relocating and replacing perimeter fencing (staff estimated about 2,245 feet of fence), creating defined conservation zones and building boardwalks and educational signage through wetland areas.

Staff highlighted infrastructure needs at the park: two retaining walls requiring repair (staff estimated roughly $54,000 to rebuild both), a sinkhole near the basketball court, and persistent mud and runoff around the courts. To reduce ongoing maintenance the presentation proposed an artificial‑turf drainage surface for the court area; staff cited an installation estimate of about $42,000 for that surface.

For immediate capital work, staff asked the council to approve bid awards for restroom renovations at Homer Leggett Memorial Park and Ben Hill Strickland Park. The lowest responsive bidder for the consolidated restroom project was Contractors of West Georgia at $181,887; staff requested a 10% contingency of $18,188.70 and recommended award to that contractor. On Pavilion 3 at Ben Hill, staff recommended awarding the contract to Riley Contracting LLC for $82,200 plus a contingency of $17,800; staff said Riley was responsive on code and engineering questions and would deliver engineered plans for future reuse.

Staff also reported smaller park matters: continued work to finish Homer Leggett (fencing and gates installed), requests to surplus pews and folding chairs from a city building (staff proposed auction using a state contract platform), and an outstanding change‑order and final accounting for the Duncan Circle improvements (staff said unplanned storm‑water fixes totaled about $17,248).

On playgrounds and specialized equipment, staff noted an increase in the cost for dog‑park equipment at Homer Leggett because of changes in the state contract; staff requested an additional $9,195.55 to complete that purchase and said those funds are available in the parks budget line.

Several council members asked about timelines and design details. Staff said the Phase 1 infrastructure and maintenance items could be completed within the year, while forest management and educational programs would be multi‑year efforts. The boardwalk and larger master‑plan concepts would require additional consultants and design funds in the future.

Status: Staff placed the restroom and pavilion items on the consent agenda for council action; the transcript records staff recommendations and budget figures but does not include a detailed roll‑call vote on those specific awards in the meeting text provided.

Why it matters: The Phase 1 work focuses on safety (retaining walls, drainage), long‑term conservation (wetland and forest management), and facility improvements that affect park users and maintenance costs. The recommended contracts would move several park improvements into procurement if council approves the consent agenda.