Roswell committee approves contract recommendation for Liberty Square Park construction

Roswell’s committee of council on Nov. 24 unanimously approved a recommendation to award a construction contract for Liberty Square Park and to authorize a project budget, sending the matter to the full mayor and council for final consideration.

Jeffrey Leman, senior vice president for community services, opened the committee meeting and noted that committee sessions are informational and do not accept public comment unless authorized. Steven Malone, director of recreation, parks, historic and cultural affairs, presented the Liberty Square Park project, which centers on improvements to a 21-acre city-owned site funded in part by an improving-neighborhoods grant the city received in 2023. Malone said the grant amount is about $2.22 million and that planned upgrades include a pavilion with an attached restroom, expanded parking, new playground equipment, a walking trail with seating, a flexible multiuse field and enhanced safety features such as emergency call stations, security cameras and improved lighting.

Malone also summarized the procurement process and said the highest-scoring bidder was selected and the city negotiated a lower contract price with that firm. He described the construction contract figure in the meeting materials as approximately $1.77 million and said the requested total project budget authorization is $1,930,410. If approved by the mayor and council, Malone said the city would sign the contract in mid-January, begin construction in February 2026 and target substantial completion before the end of October 2026.

Mayor Kurt Wilson and council members praised staff outreach and community input. ‘‘I’d like to thank our friends at Roswell Rotary,’’ one council member said, noting the organization’s role in securing additional funding and broadening the project’s scope. Council Member William Morland moved to approve the committee recommendation; Council Member G. Lee Hills seconded. The committee chair reported the vote was unanimous of those present.

The committee’s approval advances the project to the full mayor and council meeting scheduled later that evening for final action. The agenda packet referenced a negotiated construction contract and the project budget authorization; the committee did not take public comment during this session.

Clarifying details from the presentation and packet: the grant that funded the design and much of the project was described in the meeting as approximately $2.22 million (presenter’s phrasing in the transcript was “$2.2 2 million”); the construction contract number in the transcript appears in two inconsistent forms in the meeting record but is presented here as approximately $1.77 million to reflect the speaker’s characterization; the packet lists a project budget authorization of $1,930,410.