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Wheat Ridge awards $3.375M contract, $4.11M appropriation for Youngfield Street beautification
Summary
Council approved a contract to Colorado DesignScapes Inc. to build Youngfield Street streetscape improvements; the project will be funded with Urban Renewal bond funds, includes public art and landscaping, and remains contingent on a Federal Highway Administration permit.
Wheat Ridge City Council on June 23 approved a contract to Colorado DesignScapes Inc. to construct the Youngfield Street Beautification Project and amended the FY25 bond fund budget to support the award.
Councilor Tim Hoppe moved the resolution and Councilor Ulm seconded; the measure passed unanimously. Staff recommended awarding the contract to the lowest responsive bidder, Colorado DesignScapes Inc., for $3,375,500 with a contingency of $373,500, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $4,108,500. City staff said the work will be funded from the Urban Renewal Authority bond fund.
Kent Kisleman, the city’s interim public works director, described the scope at the meeting as improvements along the corridor that include irrigation, landscaping, public art, monuments and city branding elements along Youngfield. Kisleman told council the project extents are “along Youngfield from Fortieth Avenue to 30 First Avenue” and said the construction duration is expected to be 180 days. He also said staff has been trying to obtain a permit from the Federal Highway Administration and that the city will issue a notice to proceed while long-lead fabrication items are ordered.
“We’re going to issue the notice to proceed, because of the long lead time on some of the Artcon components so we can get going,” Kisleman said. He added that staff has been contacting the FHWA every other week for about five months and that the permit remains outstanding.
City Manager Patrick Goff said the funding source is the Urban Renewal Authority bond fund and that importance of the corridor grew with nearby development projects, which staff said made investment in the corridor appropriate. Councilors asked several questions about the scope, including whether sidewalks are included (staff said the project improves the west side of Youngfield and does not include sidewalk continuity, which the city is pursuing separately on the east side) and how close fence and art panels will be to the roadway. Kisleman said CDOT had been involved in design review and that the final plans account for right-of-way constraints and safety considerations.
Staff recommended and council approved the contract award in the amount of $3,375,500, plus contingency, and the resolution to amend the FY25 Renewal Wheat Ridge bond fund budget by a supplemental appropriation of $4,108,500 to support construction and contingency. The project team said they will continue to press FHWA and CDOT for timely permitting and will share updated renderings and details with council as they finalize them.
Key facts: contract award to Colorado DesignScapes Inc. $3,375,500; contingency $373,500; total not to exceed $4,108,500; funding source Urban Renewal Authority bond fund; advertised bids received: 5; lowest responsive bidder: Colorado DesignScapes Inc.; project duration estimated at 180 days; FHWA permit pending.
What’s next: staff will proceed with procurement steps, order long-lead items and continue to push for FHWA and CDOT permits before full on-site work begins.
