The council unanimously approved an agreement with Mesa Design Group Inc. for master planning design services of a Lake Kensington nature park for an amount of around $611,000, signaling the first steps toward the creation of the park.
The overview
Lake Kensington Park is anticipated to be a premier nature park and is slated to be located on 105 acres at 2400 Dacy Lane with a budget of $17 million.
The project had a completed feasibility report in June and was identified as a priority project in the 2025-26 Capital Improvement Projects plan, according to agenda documents.
The design process, according to the City Council presentation, includes:
- Contract for preliminary engineering report
- Begin surveys and geotechnical report
- Begin public input process
- Bring two to three concept designs to the Park Board and Council for feedback and approval
- Bring full construction design contract to City Council for consideration
“I’ve always counted the initial design, the major design contract, the start of a project, and so officially, in my opinion, that [unanimous approval vote] right there is the start of the Lake Kensington nature park. ... I’m very excited to be a part of that vote,” Mayor Travis Mitchell said.
The background
The city started seeking out design services for a nature park at Lake Kensington with a Request for Qualification, or RFQ, in September and received 17 responses by the deadline Oct. 17, according to agenda documents.
The RFQ states that the goal was to create a park that provides educational, interpretive and recreational opportunities while enhancing the natural resources, history and ecological balance of the area. The RFQ states that the design should address water conservation, mitigate heat island effects and manage invasive species.
Additionally, the council created a Lake Kensington task force at their Oct. 15 meeting that helped evaluate RFQ’s, among other tasks, according to past reporting by Community Impact. This task force included but was not limited to council members Lauralee Harris, Michael Tobias and Robert Rizo.
Both the task force and city staff panel recommended moving forward with Mesa Design Group.
