Waukee City Council approves park construction, plats, street work and sewer loan amendment

The Waukee City Council at its meeting approved resolutions to move forward with construction of Painted Woods West Park and Springcrest Park, awarded contracts for both parks, approved plats and site plans for Kettlestone Central Retail Phase 1 and Painted Woods West Townhomes Plat 3, accepted final work and a contract change order on a street resurfacing project, and authorized a loan amendment of up to $929,000 for a sewer-related sponsored stream-restoration project.

The council held public hearings, heard staff presentations, and in roll-call votes approved the measures. Director Jeremiah described Painted Woods West as an 8.5-acre neighborhood park with restrooms, a small parking lot, separate play zones for ages 2–5 and 5–12, shelters, native plantings, an open lawn and a combined basketball/pickleball court; he said, “The engineer's estimate for this project was $2,093,052.” Staff recommended holding the public hearing and later recommended award of the contract to Concrete Connections LLC with a low base bid of $1,674,999, approximately 20% below the engineer's estimate; the council approved the plans, the contract award and the contract and bond.

Staff presented Springcrest Park Phase 1 as roughly 5 acres that will include grading, stormwater management, trails, seating, a stone outcropping feature, solar pole lighting, play zones for ages 2–5 and 5–12, and hillside play. The engineer's estimate was $934,071. Staff reported five bids with the low base bid of $666,470.52 and recommended awarding the contract; the council approved the plans, awarded the contract for $666,470.52, and approved the contract and bond.

On financing, the council held a public hearing and approved a resolution to amend the city's existing State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan to convert a portion of interest reserve to principal and add up to $929,000 in sewer revenue capital loan notes to fund a sponsored stream-restoration project in the Little Walnut Creek corridor in partnership with the City of Clive. Dr. Kester explained the SRF conversion and the sponsored-project arrangement with Clive, noting use of stream-restoration practices described in the Iowa River restoration toolbox. Rudy said the schedule anticipates completing the amendment with the Iowa Finance Authority and seeking a first loan disbursement in the first part of February; he added the construction under that sponsored project is already under way.

In development approvals, the council approved the preliminary plat, final plat and site plan for Kettlestone Central Retail Phase 1, a 25.94-acre retail phase with two proposed buildings of just over 15,000 square feet each, privately maintained on-site utilities and a stormwater pond on Lot 6. The council also approved preliminary plat, final plat and site plan for Painted Woods West Townhomes Plat 3, a roughly 4-acre, R-4 zoned townhome project that will include 42 two-story, three-bedroom units with private streets and detached stormwater maintenance in an existing pond.

On public works, the council approved Change Order No. 3 for the Ashworth Drive and Waco Place resurfacing project, reducing the contract by $63,382.55 to reflect as-built measured quantities, and later accepted the public improvements with a final acceptance amount of $458,553.72 after review by McClure Engineering and city staff.

Other routine business included approval of the consent agenda (which included a resolution changing the official trick-or-treat date from Oct. 30 to Oct. 31), several mayoral appointment resolutions to regional boards and local commissions, and multiple final plats and site plan approvals related to Kettlestone and Painted Woods West. During reports, a council member noted the local mobile home park is under new management and credited a recently adopted ordinance with helping that transition.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution approving plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost for Painted Woods West Park: Approved (vote recorded in roll call: Mayor Clark — yes; Council member Kron — yes; Council member Grove — yes; Council member Pierce — yes; Council member Sinclair — yes; Council member Battenberg — absent).

- Resolution awarding contract for Painted Woods West Park to Concrete Connections LLC, $1,674,999 (low base bid): Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution approving contract and bond for Painted Woods West Park: Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution approving plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost for Springcrest Park Phase 1: Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution awarding contract for Springcrest Park Phase 1 to Elder Corporation, $666,470.52 (low base bid reported): Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution approving contract and bond for Springcrest Park Phase 1: Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution instituting proceedings to take additional action on not-to-exceed $929,000 in sewer revenue capital loan notes (SRF loan amendment / sponsored project reimbursement): Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution approving preliminary plat, final plat and site plan for Kettlestone Central Retail Phase 1: Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolutions approving preliminary plat, final plat and site plan for Painted Woods West Townhomes Plat 3 (42 units): Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Motion approving Change Order No. 3 to Grimes Asphalt and Paving Corp. (resurfacing project), net decrease $63,382.55: Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Resolution accepting public improvements for the resurfacing project, final acceptance amount $458,553.72: Approved (same roll-call votes).

- Consent agenda (includes appointment resolutions and trick-or-treat date change to Oct. 31): Approved (same roll-call votes).

Discussion and context

Council discussion on both park projects emphasized public input used during master planning and highlighted unique design elements: Director Jeremiah said Painted Woods West's distinctive element is a tree-house-themed play structure and noted staff held two public input meetings that informed the design; staff said Springcrest's notable feature is a hillside play area. Council members spoke favorably about the parks' design and the low bids relative to engineer estimates. There was no public testimony at the park public hearings.

On the sewer-loan amendment, staff explained the city's ability under the SRF loan to convert interest to principal for use on a sponsored project. Dr. Kester described the stream-restoration techniques to be used and noted the city is partnering with Clive on restoration work in the Little Walnut Creek corridor; Rudy said the amendment process with the Iowa Finance Authority would follow the council action and anticipated a first disbursement in early February.

Implementation notes

- Painted Woods West: Construction expected to begin in spring, with substantial completion by late fall 2025 (staff projection reported by Director Jeremiah).

- Springcrest Park Phase 1: Construction expected to begin in spring, with substantial completion by late fall 2025 (staff projection reported by Director Jeremiah).

- Sewer-sponsored project: Project already under construction in the corridor; loan amendment and first disbursement scheduling will follow IFA processes (staff projection reported by Rudy).

What the meeting did not resolve or specify

- Exact names and contact information for the construction contract project managers were not specified in the record.

- Detailed breakdown of funding sources for each park beyond a general reference to local option sales tax and project budget estimates was not provided in the discussion.

Sources and attribution

Quotations and technical figures in this article come from city staff presentations and remarks captured in the meeting transcript, including remarks by Director Jeremiah, Dr. Kester, Rudy and planning staff. All votes recorded are the roll-call votes as spoken during the meeting.