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Highland Park plans fall bidding for Ives Park improvements funded by $982,700 grant
Summary
City staff and designers presented 90% design plans for Ives Park — two softball fields, a playground, a pickleball court and sidewalks — funded by a $982,700 ARPA grant; city aims to solicit bids in September and return to council in October for contract approval.
Highland Park officials and the SmithGroup design team presented near-final plans Monday for Ives Park improvements funded by a $982,700 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant administered with help from the Council of Michigan Foundations and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The presentation at the City Council workshop on July 21 outlined a project the designers said is roughly 90% complete and would include improvements to two softball fields and backstops, a new playground, a new pickleball court, additional sidewalks and related landscaping and fencing.
The plans are being packaged into multiple bid sets to preserve budget flexibility. “We’re structuring the bid and the construction phase of work to maintain flexibility, again, so that we can make sure that we can leverage as much of that grant money as possible, to making improvements to the park,” said Bob Doyle, principal and partner at SmithGroup, the project’s landscape architect.
Why it matters: the work would add recreational amenities used by youth and adults and create an ADA-accessible connection to the Joe Louis Greenway. The grant-funded scope and the city’s procurement choices affect what is built within the available funds and how soon construction can begin.
Scope, alternates and budget The base project described to council includes the two refurbished softball diamonds, the playground and a single pickleball court with fencing and sidewalks that link to a planned city-engineered sidewalk and the Joe Louis Greenway. Designers explained they will offer bid alternates that could be added if bids come in under budget; alternates listed in the presentation included a larger backstop hood for the Hamilton Avenue side, dugout pads for each field, additional connection walks, a concrete pad and footings for a potential picnic shelter and specialty court painting for the pickleball area.
Design and technical team Sue Noranda, representing the city’s recreation department, introduced the SmithGroup team and confirmed that the design package is approximately 90% complete. SmithGroup is the prime design consultant; the team also includes NTH Environmental for environmental review.
Schedule and procurement Designers said they will finish internal quality assurance this week, submit plans to the grant administrator next week for compliance review, and advertise the project in September. The city plans to separate the playground manufacturer package from general construction to avoid an extra markup: designers said bidding the playground as its own contract typically avoids a 10% general-contractor markup on a turnkey playground supplier. Bids are expected back by early October, with recommendations and contract approvals to be presented to council at an October meeting. The team said all grant funds must be allocated by the end of the calendar year and that construction would begin the following spring.
Contingency and costs The presentation included a budget breakdown showing the $982,700 grant, roughly $88,000 in survey/design/construction-administration fees, and a city staff effort allowance. Designers emphasized reserving contingency funds for unforeseen site conditions such as buried concrete foundations. When asked about rising construction costs, SmithGroup said they are tracking market conditions and have included contingencies in the bid strategy.
Questions and community suggestions Council members and attendees asked about exact locations of the fitness pad, tree plantings, parking and how the park would connect to nearby fields and streets. Participants suggested future amenities not covered by this grant — additional pickleball courts, moving the basketball court, batting cages and potential sponsorship or user-fee models to fund extras — and designers said the bid alternates and future projects could accommodate some expansions if additional funding becomes available.
Next steps City staff will submit the documents to the grant administrator for review this week, prepare bid documents for a September advertisement and return recommendations to council in October for contractor approvals. If council approves contractors and the city allocates the awarded grant funds by year-end, construction is planned to start in spring of the following year.
