Parks board approves land transfers, construction contracts and change orders

The Indianapolis Board of Parks and Recreation on April 22 approved a series of property transfers, professional services and construction awards and signed off on final change orders for several park projects during a meeting at the City-County Building.

Board members accepted a donation of a small parcel at 10314 Maumee Drive that will be folded into the upcoming Grassy Creek Greenway, approved a transfer of parcels along Winthrop Avenue to the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) to allow for redevelopment, authorized a design contract to prepare turf-conversion construction documents for a field at Koons Soccer Stadium and awarded construction contracts for a new splash pad at Dewberry Park and a playground upgrade at Riverside Park. The board also approved two closeout change orders for ongoing playground and Riverside construction work.

The actions are part of the parks department's broader effort to deliver capital projects funded by Lilly Endowment grants and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and to clear title and ownership questions ahead of redevelopment.

Ben Jackson, senior planner for Indy Parks, told the board the donation at 10314 Maumee Drive is a very small parcel that will transfer from the Parks Alliance of Indianapolis to Indy Parks and be incorporated into the Grassy Creek Greenway. The board approved that transfer as Resolution No. 6.

Andre Denman, principal planner for Indy Parks, described the Winthrop Avenue parcels to be transferred to DMD as just under 4 acres of the site within a larger, approximately 13-acre redevelopment area. Denman said Indy Parks negotiated an agreement with DMD that will require any developer to set aside four acres for a public dog park; whether a developer will be contractually required to maintain that dog park was not specified and Denman said he would follow up with the board.

The board authorized a professional services agreement with Schmidt Associates not to exceed $71,500 (fees of $65,000 and reimbursables of $6,500) to prepare construction documents to convert the west-most field at Koons Soccer Stadium to artificial turf. Denman said the construction funding for that turf conversion will come from Lilly Endowment grant dollars tied to the GRAMA program.

The board awarded RFB-17-DPR-311 for a new splash pad at Dewberry Park to Tristler Construction Company Inc. in the total lump-sum amount of $447,000. Construction administrators noted the Dewberry splash pad will use a drain-to-waste system rather than a recirculating system, reducing ongoing maintenance but not conserving water on-site.

The board also awarded RFBDash17DPR-309, Taggart Memorial Playground Improvements at Riverside Park, to Boyle Construction Management Inc. for $1,110,000. Andre Denman read participation verified by the Office of Minority and Women Business Development as: "6.18% MBE, 2.75% WBE, 0% VBE, 0% DOBE." The playground will be relocated slightly to be closer to the parking lot, include a new entry plaza, lighting and site amenities.

Two change orders were approved. Final Change Order No. 2 to the Indy Parks Playground Renovation Group A contract with Tristler increases that contract by $20,264.94 to a new lump-sum total of $1,030,290.09 and adds 150 days to the schedule (new substantial completion March 30, 2025; final completion April 30, 2025). Project staff said the parks included in Group A are open with minor punch-list items remaining.

Change Order No. 4 with Myers Construction Management Inc. in the amount of $115,492 was approved to close out a larger Riverside-area project that staff said has an overall contract value of about $11,000,000 across roughly 150 acres. Contractor Chad Arnold said the change order covers work to address detention basins that required added subsoils and stone to restore infiltration, a three-year program of chemical treatment to address an extensive thistle infestation, the installation of a gate to allow closing and sectioning of a large parking area for events, and added utility-permit and connection costs. The project team said the Riverside work is scheduled to open May 1.

Board members asked several clarifying questions during the votes: whether a developer would maintain the dog park set-aside (Denman said he would check and report back), and questions about change orders and whether items should have been covered in original bids. Staff said they review original bid documents carefully to ensure change orders are for work not included in the bid documents.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution No. 6: Accept donation and transfer title for parcel at 10314 Maumee Drive from Parks Alliance of Indianapolis to Indy Parks — approved (voice vote).

- Resolution No. 7: Transfer several parcels along Winthrop Avenue from the Department of Parks and Recreation to the Department of Metropolitan Development for redevelopment (developer must set aside four acres for a public dog park) — approved (voice vote).

- Memo No. 12: Approve professional services agreement with Schmidt Associates, not to exceed $71,500 (fees $65,000; reimbursables $6,500) for turf-design at Koons Soccer Stadium — approved (voice vote). Funding source: Lilly Endowment.

- Memo No. 13: Award RFB-17-DPR-311 Dewberry Park splash pad improvements to Tristler Construction Co., Inc., $447,000 — approved (voice vote). Project uses drain-to-waste system.

- Memo No. 14: Award RFBDash17DPR-309 Taggart Memorial Playground Improvements at Riverside Park to Boyle Construction Management, $1,110,000 — approved (voice vote). Verified participation: 6.18% MBE, 2.75% WBE.

- Memo No. 15: Approve Final Change Order No. 2 to Indy Parks Playground Renovation Group A (Tristler) +$20,264.94; new total $1,030,290.09; add 150 days — approved (voice vote).

- Memo No. 16: Approve Change Order No. 4 with Myers Construction Management Inc., $115,492 (closeout items including detention-basin remediation, thistle treatment, parking gate, utility permit-related adjustments); Riverside project opening scheduled May 1 — approved (voice vote).

Board members and staff noted the mix of grant funding and ARPA dollars used for many projects and asked staff to continue providing minority- and women-owned business participation statistics with project presentations. Several members urged tighter coordination with the city's land stewardship resources for invasive-species work and questioned whether some change-order costs should have been foreseen in bid documents.