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Dell Rapids awards $758,000 park shelter bid, accepts $250,000 LWCF grant and approves stone invoice
Summary
The Dell Rapids City Council voted to award a $758,000 contract to APX Construction Group for a new park shelter and event facility, accepted a $250,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant toward the project and approved a $55,120 invoice related to a stone donation from LG Everest.
The Dell Rapids City Council voted to award the park shelter and event center construction contract to APX Construction Group for $758,000 and to accept related grant and donation funding to reduce the net cost to the city. The council moved the contract award after staff and the project architect presented bid results and a recommended timeline for construction.
City staff said the building is a multiuse gathering space with roll-up overhead doors, a large shelter/gathering area, two restrooms (each with two stalls), a small catering kitchen and mechanical space. SEH’s project manager said the design allows winter use by providing heated restrooms and emphasized coordination with utility work, insurance and bonding requirements before construction begins. “The goal would be to get them under contract and foundations in the ground this fall so the building can be enclosed before winter,” the SEH representative said.
Funding for the project, officials said, includes about $285,000 the city received during the federal COVID period that had been earmarked for the park project, a $250,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant (conditional on matching expenditures), and a donated stone material package from LG Everest. Because the stone donation exceeded the city’s threshold for sole-source procurement, staff asked council to approve a $55,120 invoice tied to the stone so the value could be recorded and processed properly; council approved that invoice.
Public comment at the meeting voiced concern about the scale and cost of the project. Longtime resident Ethel Garrett said she supported a shelter but objected to what she called an “extravagant” price tag and urged consideration of a simpler structure and volunteer support. “I just envisioned when we were talking park shelter — overhead to keep the rain off of us — we don’t need a heated bathroom,” Garrett said. Council members and staff responded that the facility was designed for greater year-round utility and special events (including a wedding the city already has booked) and that multiple funding sources and donations were intended to reduce the net cost to taxpayers.
Council member Gary moved to award the APX Construction Group bid for $758,000; the motion was seconded and passed in a roll-call vote with recorded yes votes from Meyer, Haack, Jones, Hanslick and Ron Sagen and recorded no votes from Berg and Nelson. Staff said the next steps are finalizing the contract, obtaining required bonds and insurance, and scheduling a pre-construction meeting to align contractor work with utility infrastructure work.
The council also approved acceptance of the $250,000 LWCF grant and the LG Everest invoice. Staff said they will return with contract documents and schedule updates as the city proceeds into contracting and construction.
The council’s formal approvals mean the city may begin the procurement and contracting steps necessary to put the park building into construction in the coming months.
