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Pierz awards $265,000 Pierz Park playground contract; fundraising leaves roughly $46,600 short
Summary
The Pierz City Council on Feb. 23 unanimously approved a $265,000 contract with St. Croix Recreation to renovate Pierz Park’s playground. Councilmember Lynn Egan said $218,400 has been secured through pledged funds and the city’s playground fund, leaving an estimated $46,600 gap.
The Pierz City Council unanimously approved a $265,000 contract with St. Croix Recreation on Feb. 23 to renovate the Pierz Park playground, awarding the project after reviewing four sealed bids.
Council Member Lynn Egan and staff told the council that St. Croix Recreation’s proposal, while not the lowest price, fully met the project specifications, including required safety surfacing and ADA elements, and demonstrated the experience and capability required for installation. Council approved Resolution #2026-0223-3 to award the contract (motion by Council Member Lynn Egan; second by Council Member Gary Berg). The motion carried unanimously.
Egan, who said she has been leading fundraising for the playground, provided a written breakdown of funds and reported that the project has secured $218,400 in pledged contributions and city playground-fund dollars. That leaves about $46,600 remaining to cover the contract price if the full scope proceeds as proposed. Egan asked the council to consider completing the project in full if only a minor gap remains rather than reducing its scope. She also clarified that drain tile and installation are included in the awarded bid package and that donated funds were not intended to reimburse city wages.
City staff reported that other sealed bids were missing required components of the project specifications, which informed the recommendation to award to St. Croix Recreation despite higher cost. Grant applications remain in process to help close the remaining funding gap.
The council previously approved a separate resolution to accept donations for the playground (Resolution #2026-0223-1). The council also removed Resolution #2026-0223-2 from tonight’s agenda to be considered at a future workshop. The council scheduled a workshop for March 17 at 5:30 p.m., which may include further discussion on related items.
Next steps include contract execution with St. Croix Recreation and coordination of construction timing and installation plans with city staff and volunteers. Staff noted that, because of liability and equipment considerations, city personnel involvement in on-site installation will be limited and focused primarily on post-installation restoration.
