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St. Clair Shores council approves budget amendment to advance $989,011 Bryce Park path to bid
Summary
The council authorized a budget amendment to commission Fishbeck engineering to design and bid alternatives for a new walking path at Bryce Park, with an engineer-estimated total project cost of $989,011; council debate focused on cost, accessibility and whether a nature-surface alternative should be pursued.
Council members voted to advance the Bryce Park walking-path project to bid after hearing staff and engineering recommendations that aim to solve recurring cracking and instability on the existing path.
Denise Pike, the city’s CDI director, said Fishbeck’s geotechnical work found substandard soils and a high water table in the park’s middle area and recommended a mixed surface solution: a concrete inner ring for the heaviest-use sections and asphalt for the outer loop, with a geotextile grid beneath the surface. Pike said Fishbeck’s design and construction oversight fees would be $212,851, of which $11,500 has already been paid for geotechnical testing, and estimated the construction cost would bring the total to $989,011.
The amendment approved by council authorizes design and bidding of alternatives (an “A/B” approach) so the city can compare multiple surface and connection options when bids return. Dustin Lutz, city manager, said the amendment is to “get the process going” and that the council would review specific bid results and final design choices before any construction contract is awarded.
Much of the discussion centered on funding eligibility under Act 51 and recent MDOT guidance, which favors nonmotorized pathways that serve as transportation connections rather than purely recreational loops. Lutz and staff said adding a connection from Pallister to the park would strengthen eligibility for Act 51 funds; council asked Fishbeck to include such connection alternatives when preparing bid documents.
Council members split on the project’s scope and cost. Council member Chris Vitale said repeatedly he opposed spending roughly $1 million on the park and preferred lower-cost, nature-surface alternatives, arguing that not every park must be fully paved. “I don’t think I’m in favor of adding more pavement,” Vitale said. Other members pressed that an accessible surface supports strollers, families and people with mobility needs, and urged the city to include multiple alternatives for bidders to price.
Pike and Fishbeck agreed to add nonpaved alternatives and provide comparative pricing and maintenance implications when the project returns for contract approval. The council’s vote authorized the budget amendment to proceed to bid; the final contract award will require a subsequent council action once bids and final options are presented.
