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Bethany Legacy Foundation awards $500,000 to Welch Park; city aims to bid renovations this fall
Summary
City staff reported a $500,000 grant from the Bethany Legacy Foundation toward Welch Park renovations and said staff plan to refine designs with the Parks Commission and seek bids, with a hoped-for bid award at the October commission meeting.
City of Madison staff reported on Aug. 12 that the Bethany Legacy Foundation has awarded $500,000 to Welch Park renovations on the riverfront, a contribution city officials said will help advance the project toward construction.
A city staff member (unnamed) told the commission, "While that wasn't all of the money that we asked for, it's certainly a great contribution towards the renovation of that park on our riverfront," and said staff will work with the Parks Commission and park staff to refine plans. The staff member said the city hopes to issue bid documents within about 30 days and to return to the commission at its October meeting to award a bid so construction can begin.
Staff described phasing options to limit closure of the whole park during work, noting a priority to complete parking and the pickleball courts early in construction and a goal to have work finished by next year's Regatta. The staff report also noted the city was under budget on a related project line by about $96,000 and held a $100,000 contingency in the base bid; those available funds were cited in discussion of adding design elements on other projects.
The grant was presented as part of the commission's regular financial report; no formal vote on accepting the grant was recorded at the meeting.
