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Gunnison council engages Sunrise to design park sports courts; firms warned of federal grant rules
Summary
After hearing three firms present, the Gunnison City Council voted to engage Sunrise for engineering services for proposed park sports courts. Council and presenters discussed tree preservation, ADA access, post-tension slab benefits and federal CDBG procurement constraints.
The Gunnison City Council voted to engage Sunrise to provide engineering services for design work on proposed park sports courts, including pickleball facilities, after presentations from three firms and a council deliberation.
Sunrise's team, led by project manager Trent Brown, emphasized post-tension slab construction to minimize cracking and extend court life. Brown said the firm would include quality-assurance requirements in construction documents, such as tight slope tolerances, drainage checks and contractor qualifications with post-tension experience. "Post-tension slabs are designed to last a long time and minimize cracking," Brown said during his presentation.
Presenting firms collectively highlighted several site and design considerations that influenced the council's decision: preserving mature shade trees on the park's east side by shifting courts west where feasible; ensuring ADA access and spectator space; managing drainage; and crafting bid documents that meet federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) rules. Engineers warned that retaining mature trees could require additional grading and that utility and root impacts must be assessed early.
Council and presenters discussed funding strategies. Firms urged the council to pursue CDBG funding while also pursuing matching sources such as Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Outdoor Rec programs, and the recently introduced CPR program. Presenters cautioned that the CDBG process can lengthen reimbursement timelines and triggers Davis-Bacon wage and procurement requirements; one presenter recommended keeping discretionary items out of the federalized scope where possible to reduce cost and administrative burden.
On procurement approach, firms recommended including alternates in bid packages (for example, post-tension versus conventional poured concrete for different courts) to allow cost comparisons during contractor selection, and writing minimum qualification language to ensure bidders have relevant court-installation experience and SAM.gov registration where required.
The council voted to engage Sunrise to develop engineering work and to return a contract and scope for formal approval. The motion passed and staff were instructed to meet with Sunrise this week to finalize the scope and a cost estimate the city needs for pending grant applications.
Separately, the council approved the canvassing minutes for the 2025 election in a separate motion earlier in the meeting; that motion recorded three yes votes and two abstentions from members who were not present at the canvassing meeting. The council adjourned following the votes.
Next steps include staff and Sunrise preparing the engineering scope and cost estimate to support the city's pending grant application and clarifying which demolition or preparatory work, if any, the city will complete outside the federalized grant scope.
