Skatepark bid awarded

McCOOK, Neb. -- The construction bid for a new McCook skatepark was awarded Monday and similar to previous steps in the process seemed to draw resistance from several City Council members.

Councilman Gene Weedin pulled the bid item from the consent agenda to inquire about a $5,000 option calling for colored concrete to be used on the project. Public Works Director Kyle Potthoff explained the colored concrete was for aesthetic purposes and added it had always been his belief that if you are going to do something, do it right.

Potthoff said the firm vying for the construction bid, Dreamland Skateparks, felt the colored concrete option was a very important part of the project. He also said they were currently constructing a skatepark in Italy and were excited for the opportunity to return stateside.

Councilman Jerry Calvin asked if additional fundraising from the "Build McCook a Skatepark" group was an option to cover the additional $5,000 expense and Mayor Mike Gonzales asked what the increased liability insurance expense was going to be for the city.

By comparison, earlier in the meeting City Council coordinated a public hearing followed by first round approval of the more than $32 million fiscal year city budget without comment, while the skatepark bid spurned several minutes of conversation.

"If you had told me this group would have raised $95,000 in this timeframe, I wouldn't have believed you," said Potthoff in response to the request for additional fundraising. Potthoff said he had participated in two previous skatepark fundraising efforts that ended up falling well-short and raising only $2,000. He said those funds were eventually donated by the groups to the parks department and absorbed into the General Fund, prompting skatepark group representative Rex Nelson to say, light-heartedly, it sounded like only $3,000 was needed for the colored concrete.

Potthoff reiterated his belief in "doing it right" and Nelson said he had commitments from local contractors for in-kind donations that could end up lowering the construction expense of the skatepark even further. Nelson said he couldn't finalize those details until after the construction bid was awarded.

City Manager Nate Schneider replied to Gonzales liability question and said immunities existed in state statute pertaining specifically to skateparks, while adding he hadn't yet had direct conversations with the city's insurance carrier pertaining to the park.

City Council unanimously approved awarding the bid to Dreamland, with the colored concrete alternate, but it was apparent prior to the vote at least one councilor had reservations about the city taking on the additional $5,000 expense should in-kind donations or additional fundraising efforts fall short.

While scrutiny of the skatepark project throughout the process has been unprecedented, when compared to other city park investments in recent years, so has local fundraising. The skatepark fundraising group announced in July they had collected more than $95,000 in private donations, grants funds and in-kind donations. The skatepark is estimated to cost $135,000 with the colored concrete option.

Sales tax funds were used to purchase playground equipment at several city parks in recent years without local fundraising efforts, including Felling Field, Elks City Park and more than $100,000 at Norris Park in 2009. The bandshell at Norris Park also received $170,000 in sales tax funds for a facelift and new roof in 2011, according to city staff during recent sales tax renewal hearings.

Potthoff said Dreamland anticipates construction to take seven weeks, begin this fall and be completed before the end of 2015.