Lancaster County officials update regional park plans, warn of substantial site work and higher costs

Lancaster County staff on the county's regional park project told the Lancaster County Council that design and permitting are complete and the project will go to bid in coming months, but the county should expect "sticker shock" once true site costs are revealed.

County staff presented details about the park site, its phasing and remaining permitting steps, and emphasized that bids in September through the end of the year will show actual construction costs. "This is just a reminder that in October 2023, the council approved a budget of $34,700,000," County staff member Snowden said, adding that the design team completed construction documents in recent months and started preliminary construction documents in January before refining them into final documents in May.

The project team described the planned amenities: three baseball fields, an enhanced splash pad, an inclusive (adaptive) playground, soccer fields and a maintenance/storage building. Snowden said the design team has completed 60-foot borings to assess subsurface conditions and that the U.S. Army…