Indy Parks approves contract amendment for MLK Gateway memorial project

The Board of Parks and Recreation for the consolidated city of Indianapolis on March 18 approved an amendment to the construction contract for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gateway Project that increases the project’s construction authorization and authorizes a guaranteed maximum price for the contractor.

City staff recommended the amendment to the board, citing a need for additional funding to deliver higher-quality materials and amenities for the memorial and southern end of the park. Corey Kranick, construction administrator for Indy Parks, told the board the procurement uses a construction-manager-at-risk approach and that the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) includes allowances for utilities and unforeseen conditions so the project will not need to return to the board for routine change orders.

The board packet and public remarks contain two related numbers. The staff memo recommended approving an amendment to the Powers and Sons contract increasing the amount by $1,888,500 to a stated not-to-exceed amount of $6,000,500. At the project presentation, Corey Kranick described the team’s work to secure approximately $2,000,000 in additional funding and spoke about a GMP of $6,500,000; both figures are included in the meeting record and reflect how the item was described at different points during the discussion.

Kranick described specific items funded by the added budget, including granite walls and pavers in place of some concrete, a larger sign package for the park and memorial, an elevated lighting package and infrastructure to support cameras, interpretive panels and architectural steel for the memorial canopy, irrigation for lawn areas, and allowances for unforeseen utility work. He said the project recorded an XBE/XPO outreach level of 41 percent, including work performed directly by Powers and Sons and by subcontractors.

“If it does come in under budget, those funds would be returned to the city,” Kranick said, describing how unused contingency within the GMP would be handled.

The board voted to approve the recommendation; the motion passed following a motion, a second and a voice vote.

The project is among a series of park construction starts Indy Parks announced this month. At the meeting’s opening, park leadership noted groundbreakings this spring at Tarkington, Chapel Hill and Franklin Township Community Parks and scheduled events for the MLK Gateway ground breaking on April 4 and ribbon-cuttings for other projects planned for April 20 and May 1.