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Wixom council approves West End Commons construction, authorizes $1.30 million project cap
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Summary
The Wixom City Council voted to award a $1.118 million construction contract for the West End Commons pocket park to DA Contracting LLC and authorized up to $180,000 for construction engineering, bringing the project cap to $1,298,802. Funding includes federal and county grants and DDA TIF capture.
The Wixom City Council voted to award the West End Commons construction contract to DA Contracting LLC and authorized construction engineering services for the project, creating a not-to-exceed project total of $1,298,802.
City consultant Mike Berga explained the funding mix and the contract recommendation, saying, “As mentioned in the report, the United States Federal Government is contributing 738,000 to this, and Oakland County, via their ARPA funding, is contributing 206,000. And the Wixom DDA would be covering the balance via their TIF capture.” He described the park as a pocket-park-style plaza with a small stage, gathering spaces and a prefabricated permanent restroom.
Why it matters: the council awarded construction and engineering contracts that will allow the city and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to begin site work within grant timeframes while using outside engineering oversight to manage construction and grant administration.
During debate, Council member Behrman questioned the size of the engineering budget compared with usual practice: “Traditionally engineering to oversee construction is around 10% and this 1 seems to be substantially above that,” he said, asking staff to explain the percentage. Staff and consultants said the higher figure includes an elevated contingency to cover unknowns (for example, fire-feature review time), grant-administration work, and that HRC’s billing is hourly rather than a flat fee.
Mister Darger, who spoke for the project team on contractor responsiveness, said the low bidder was not chosen because its restroom proposal did not match RFP specifications and the firm failed to provide adequate written confirmation: “The restroom that they were looking at was more of just a metal structure…The specs are the same restroom that is in Gunnar Mattalla Park. It’s a…concrete structure,” he said, adding that communications with the low bidder left staff uncomfortable about relying on it for a multi-month project.
Council members also discussed layout and safety concerns for a pavilion wall and whether movable furnishings should be prioritized over fixed elements; DDA director Laura Cloutier said the DDA will be primary programmer in the near term but Parks and Recreation will have opportunities to use the space.
The council moved, seconded and approved the award in a voice vote. Mayor Beagle closed the item on an upbeat note, saying, “Get those shovels ready for us to break ground.”
What’s next: construction is expected to proceed in phases; staff said the permanent restroom installation may occur in a later construction season, and the DDA will manage furnishings procurement and programming details.
