Pittsboro staff details parks, sidewalk and town‑hall projects; Lewis Freeman Park groundbreaking planned
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Summary
Staff reported accepted bids and schedules for Lewis Freeman Park, McClanahan improvements, Raffy Building renovation financing, sidewalk projects and an RFQ for a new town hall design; commissioners discussed funding sources and schedules ahead of April budget work.
Town staff updated the board Dec. 3 on recommended capital projects and parks work for FY27, reporting bid awards, project timelines and funding sources.
Parks highlights: Staff said Lewis Freeman Park has a $150,000 allocation and that the town accepted a bid from Sanford Contractors for a $96,000 base with a $6,000 alternate for benches; a pre‑construction meeting is expected within weeks with a planned January groundbreaking. McClanahan improvements, including skate park and baseball lights, were reported as complete; baseball lights will be a recurring annual charge (~$20,000–$25,000). Knight Farm and Mary Hayes parks received proposed allocations for upgrades and equipment.
Raffy Building and town hall: Staff reported ongoing renovation of the Raffy Building funded by a $1.05M loan plus proceeds from a land sale; separate RFQ for town hall design is live for an $11M cap with responses due later this month. Staff said design may be funded from fund balance and repaid with loan proceeds if the board approves a borrowing strategy.
Sidewalks and streetscape: Projects in varying design stages include Town Lake/Hwy 87 sidewalk (awaiting federal environmental approval), Salisbury Street sidewalk (30% design expected), and a downtown streetscape project tied to an $850,000 expected grant package; if the grant is not funded, staff said a budget amendment to use fund balance would be required.
Funding and process: Several projects rely on proceeds from a recent land sale (referred to in discussion as Moniker Pittsburgh Road property) and grants; staff emphasized flexibility to reallocate as studies and bids clarify scope and cost. A design RFQ for broad development services will be issued this month to help advance RAISE/RAISE‑type connectivity projects.
Next steps: Staff will return with final bid documents, pre‑construction dates and any required budget amendments for the board to consider at upcoming budget‑workshop meetings.