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Bay City staff preview playground bids, historic-sign grant, United Way toddler playground and volunteer projects
Summary
Staff updated the committee on Carroll Park bid interviews for a $1 million playground project, a $34,900 historical-signs grant (with $10,000 match), a United Way-led toddler playground/fencing at Winona Park (roughly $50,000), and Day of Caring volunteer plans (725 volunteers last year).
City staff briefed the Bay City Parks Advisory Committee on multiple park projects and volunteer initiatives during the Jan. 31 meeting, including procurement for Carroll Park, a historical-signs grant, a United Way playground project at Winona Park and organization of Day of Caring volunteer efforts.
Carroll Park: Speaker 3 reported the City opened bids (nine submissions; two non-responsive) and selected three firms for interviews to narrow the award. "We put it out to bid saying this was a $1,000,000 project," Speaker 3 said; staff asked bidders for three concept designs and emphasized qualifications-based selection. Staff also specified surfacing requirements (pour-in-place rubber or synthetic turf) and said accessibility (ADA) was part of the scoring rubric. The top three interviewees will present concepts; staff intends to bring designs to a public meeting for community feedback before final selection.
Historical signs: Staff said the committee previously earmarked a $500,000 city match across two budget years for related park projects. Separately, the committee applied for a $34,900 grant to fund historical signs with a required $10,000 local match; staff proposed partnering with SDSU's history department and the Bay County Historical Society to research and fact-check sign content.
United Way / Winona Park: Speaker 3 said United Way (with Leadership Bay County fundraising) is planning a toddler-accessible playground and fencing at Winona Park to serve a nearby daycare; staff estimated the project at "somewhere around $50,000 or less." The City Manager has approved the project to proceed pending fundraising.
Day of Caring and volunteers: Staff summarized Day of Caring project lists (adding Trembly/Trombley House and other sites) and said the event drew 725 volunteers last year; staff warned that adding too many projects could strain staff capacity and recommended project leads for large sites (e.g., little league groups or volunteers from partner organizations).
Community idea: A committee member proposed applying for small community grants to buy ~100 litter-picking kits (grabbers, vests, gloves) to circulate among neighborhood groups; staff noted a Carroll Park endowment could potentially be a funding source for small maintenance items.
Next steps: Staff will interview top Carroll Park bidders on the scheduled date, collect community input on shortlisted designs, report on the historical-sign grant decision by April, and monitor fundraising for the United Way Winona Park project.
