Goddard council authorizes RFPs for North Park playground as $5.8M project moves toward construction

The Goddard City Council voted Jan. 27 to authorize city staff to advertise requests for proposals for playground equipment and safety surfacing for the North Park project.

City Administrator Craig Crossette presented renderings of the proposed playground and pavilion and said the city has worked on the project for about two years. He told council the overall project budget is $5.8 million, with about $1.2 million coming from grants, including an anticipated $1 million Land and Water Conservation Fund grant and additional help from a Helping Kids Initiative grant.

Crossette said the RFPs will ask vendors to submit line-item pricing for specified equipment or equivalent alternatives and to include installation. The playground area is designed to sit under a pavilion for shade and to separate play zones by age group. He outlined a staff timeline that calls for recommending firms on Feb. 17 and contract approval on March 2, with construction mobilization expected in April and an approximately 12‑month build time.

Councilmember Amanda White asked whether the pavilion event space would be reserved for private rentals; Crossette said the recommendation will likely favor private rentals with exceptions for city-hosted events because existing community center space is heavily used by civic groups. “That will likely be the recommendation, with exceptions for city‑hosted events,” Crossette said.

The motion to authorize advertising the RFPs was made by Councilmember White, seconded by Councilmember Corey Dir, and carried 4‑0 (Naomi Leonard joined by phone later in the meeting).

The next steps on the project schedule are the recommendation of firms Feb. 17 and contract approval at the March 2 council meeting; if those milestones hold, mobilization would begin in April 2026.

Provenance: discussion and motion appear in the meeting record beginning at SEG 029 and concluding at SEG 039.