City awards Town Common bulkhead contract after $14.3M bid; project includes boardwalk and park upgrades

Greenville City Council on Monday approved a construction contract for the Town Common bulkhead and esplanade project after considering a $14.3375 million bid from Trader Construction Company and related construction administration work.

The contract award passed unanimously, and council also approved a 25 percent contingency to cover unforeseen conditions during construction.

Why it matters: The Town Common bulkhead is a major park and riverfront infrastructure project. City planners said the existing structure is nearly 60 years old and structurally overstressed; the replacement project includes both river protection and public‑facing park improvements intended to preserve access while improving the riverfront for festivals and daily use.

What the contract covers - Construction: staff recommended award to Trader Construction Company for a base bid of $14,337,500 with a contract time of about 400 days. - Contingency and budget: staff proposed a 25% contingency (about $3.5 million) and estimated a total construction budget around $18.5 million, including construction administration. - Design and features: the plan includes roughly 1,600 linear feet of steel sheet pile bulkhead, an elevated boardwalk with overlook platforms, two plazas anchored on either end, rain gardens, terrace seating, a 60‑foot floating dock and improvements to the amphitheater loading area to accommodate larger tour buses.

Council discussion and vote Parks planner Mark Nottingham presented the design and budget. Council member Blackburn asked for clarification about the contingency funds, which staff described as a reserve that is spent only if needed during construction. Blackburn moved the award; Council member Willis seconded. The measure passed 5–0.

Funding Staff said design costs of about $1.1 million were funded with ARPA money, $5 million was secured from the state toward construction, and the city would use capital debt service funds to cover the remaining construction cost.

Speakers - Mark Nottingham — Parks planner (presenter) - Council member Blackburn — council (mover) - Council member Willis — council (seconder)

Authorities - None cited beyond local procurement and capital project procedures.

Actions - kind:"contract_award"; motion:"Award construction contract to Trader Construction Company for the Town Common Bulkhead and Esplanade project and designate a 25% contingency."; mover:"Council member Blackburn"; second:"Council member Willis"; vote_record:[{"member":"PJ Connolly","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Foreman","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Blackburn","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Scully","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Robinson","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Willis","vote":"yes"}]; tally:{"yes":6,"no":0}; outcome:"approved"; notes:"Contract time ~400 days; total construction estimate ~$18.5M including contingency and administration."

Discussion_decision:{"discussion_points":["Existing bulkhead is nearly 60 years old and structurally overstressed.","Project includes both structural replacement and park improvements (boardwalk, plazas, seating, rain gardens, floating dock)."],"directions":["Award contract to Trader Construction and allocate contingency funds."],"decisions":["Council approved contract award and contingency (5–0)."]}

clarifying_details:[{"category":"base_bid","detail":"Trader Construction bid amount","value":14337500,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mark Nottingham"},{"category":"contingency","detail":"Contingency percentage recommended","value":25,"units":"percent","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Mark Nottingham"},{"category":"project_length","detail":"Estimated contract duration","value":400,"units":"days","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Mark Nottingham"}]

proper_names:[{"name":"Trader Construction Company","type":"business"},{"name":"Moffett|Nicolas (design firm)","type":"organization"},{"name":"Town Common","type":"location"},{"name":"Greenville","type":"location"}]

community_relevance:{"geographies":["Downtown Greenville","Town Common"],"funding_sources":["ARPA","state grant","city capital debt service"],"impact_groups":["park users","festival organizers","downtown businesses"]}

meeting_context:{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":3,"duration_minutes":20,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2022","note":"Structural assessment found bulkhead was overstressed."}]}

searchable_tags:["Town Common","bulkhead","riverfront","parks","Trader Construction"]

provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"block_2672.08","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"Item number 12, construction contract award to Trader Construction Company for the Town Common Bulkhead And Esplanade project. I'll now call forward our parks planner, Mark, Nottingham for the presentation.","global_start":2672,"global_end":2870,"reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"block_2981.39","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"Alright. Motion's been made by council member Blackburn, second by council member Willis. Any other discussion? All in favor, say aye. Motion passes 5 0.","global_start":2979,"global_end":2991,"reason_code":"topicfinish"}] } ,