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Urbandale recommends Outdoor Recreation Products bid for Lions Park Phase 3 playground; staff recommends alternate rubberized surface
Summary
City staff recommended awarding the Lions Park Phase 3 playground equipment contract to Outdoor Recreation Products, including an alternate for additional pour-in-place rubberized surfacing; the base-plus-alternate recommendation totaled $340,749, above the budgeted equipment number the city had set in its CIP.
The Urbandale City Council heard a Parks and Recreation presentation and staff recommendation to award the playground equipment portion of Lions Park Phase 3 to Outdoor Recreation Products, with staff recommending the base bid plus the alternate rubberized surfacing.
Scott Hoke, assistant department director, summarized the park project and said the city received 12 proposals from nine vendors after posting on Feb. 12. Staff set an equipment budget of $312,974 for the playground equipment, installation and primary pour-in-place surfacing; Hoke said vendors’ proposals clustered around that figure. Staff is recommending the base bid from Outdoor Recreation Products plus the alternate for additional rubberized surface, for a combined recommended award of $340,749. Hoke said the alternate might be re-evaluated if bids when opened at the March 18 meeting come in materially higher than estimates.
Hoke described the Phase 3 site work scope that will also cover parking stalls, sidewalks and vendor hookups for July 4 activities. He said the city intentionally plans to preserve existing trees except for removing several ash trees. The playground design includes separate areas for ages 0–5 and 5–12, inclusive swings including a newly introduced ADA-accessible “flex swing,” and a mix of large feature structures and independent play pieces.
Hoke said the city posted the proposals for public review and received 72 online comments; many commenters mentioned shade. Installation will follow the contractor’s schedule, with work expected after the July 4 holiday and with the goal of completing most of Phase 3 before the fall school year.
The council closed the public hearing and approved the related resolution (recorded as resolution 059-20 25 in the meeting). Hoke said if the formal bids received by the city office on the advertised opening date differ substantially from the estimate, staff may return to the council for further direction on accepting the alternate surface.
Why it matters: The recommendation will determine the playground equipment and surfacing children will use for years; accessibility features and surfacing choices affect long-term maintenance costs and play inclusivity.
Council members asked whether the adjacent basketball courts would be lighted (Hoke said lights were not included in the current scope but ambient lighting from the pickleball courts would extend evening play) and confirmed the alternate surfacing would be replaced with engineered wood fiber if the alternate is not accepted.
