Oak Park awards architecture contract for community center to Newman Smith, not to exceed $2.06M

Oak Park city officials voted to award a professional services contract to Newman Smith Architecture to provide architecture and engineering services for the planned community center.

Deputy City Manager David DeCoster explained the procurement process: an RFP issued in December 2025 drew 17 proposals, a selection team evaluated qualifications and interviewed top firms and recommended Newman Smith. He recommended that council approve a contract for design and project support with a not-to-exceed price of $2,061,700. "This award falls under the professional services exemption to the sealed bidding process," DeCoster said during the presentation.

Jim Stock, design director for Newman Smith, told council the firm intends to lead public "visioning sessions" to gather resident input and said the firm has experience with the city’s Event Hub project. "We'd like to take a poll on what you feel is appropriate," Stock said, describing an inclusive design approach that accommodates input from Parks and Recreation staff and residents.

Council discussed public engagement and confirmed that Newman Smith, the city’s construction manager and the communications team will participate in upcoming town-hall style meetings. The motion to award the contract was seconded and approved on a roll-call vote; all members present voted in favor.

The contract requires city attorney review and procurement steps before design work accelerates; staff indicated town-hall meetings and community input sessions will follow in the coming months.