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Council weighs park-and-basin phasing as developer offers excavation help for Community Pond Park
Summary
Council discussed a $4.2M project to relocate a pond/basin and build a park, a developeroffered to cover $1.5M in excavation tied to a $3M purchase offer, and staff warned that grant reimbursements (NRCS and others) and final design ($~2.2M estimate) affect timing; council directed staff to pursue design options and return with numbers.
Council members on Wednesday reviewed updated cost estimates and funding options for the Community Pond Park and related stormwater basin, including a developer proposal that could shift excavation costs off the city's immediate balance sheet.
Staff said the engineerestimate (dated 10/2/24) focuses on the cityportion of required storm-drain and park work; prior work already spent by the city (roughly $500,000) is additional to the current estimate. The estimate does not, staff said, include some previously approved items unless specifically listed.
During the meeting a council member described a developer conversation in which the developer(now negotiating purchase of the parcel) offered to perform excavation as part of an acquisition strategy, potentially covering as much as $1,500,000 of excavation costs and deferring some city outlays until the property closes. Staff cautioned that major grants typically reimburse after expenses are incurred, so timing and grant conditions must be clarified before committing city funds.
City staff explained that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant component and other grant participants (for example, a Pineview-related component) affect whether the city would be reimbursed for certain storm-drain costs. Staff said they had not yet updated every line item to include grant matches and that some items may rely on NRCS reimbursement if the grant is ultimately approved.
Design readiness was a prominent concern. Staff reported the city lacks a final stamped design that would allow rapid construction should a commercial tenant require an accelerated schedule. The staff estimate to complete the final design for the city portion was given as about $2,200,000; staff called that figure high but realistic for complex engineering.
Council discussed phasing options: staff said some elements (landscaping required by code, certain outlet-control structures) would be required up front, but other park elements (parking lot, playground, restroom/bowery) could be deferred. Members asked staff to pursue RFPs for design now but reserve the right not to award a contract if grant participation or county decisions change. Council directed staff to work with the county and grant contacts to verify grant viability, to check the developer's willingness to commit to excavation in writing, and to return with refined cost and schedule options.
Next steps: staff will ask the county and grant partners about extension/viability, solicit design cost proposals and RFPs with opt-out language, and present a recommended, constrained approach to the council before signing design contracts or committing construction dollars.
