According to city documents, the original contract with consultant TBG Partners for the planning and design of Bay Colony Park, which will feature baseball and other sports fields near Calder Road, was $998,750. The agreement has been amended three times for $149,347, $22,364 and $1.87 million, respectively.
This fourth amendment for $36,200 brings to the total planning and design cost of the park to $3.08 million, according to the documents. This amendment allows TBG to prepare construction documents for three items originally excluded from the plan.
The first item is a plaza enhancement around the restrooms and concession stand with a decomposed granite paved area around picnic tables and shaded by a tree grove. The shaded area is comparable to the area at the Chester L. Davis Sportsplex, according to the documents.
The second item is two bleachers per field will be upgraded to concrete to reduce ongoing daily maintenance and improve visibility from the central plaza. The work will also provide retaining walls to allow for elevation and stabilization of the plaza for the construction of the restrooms and concession stand, the documents read.
Finally, the third item is for reforestation and irrigation. Vegetation removed during construction will be replaced with native plants encircling the softball complex. Reforestation may also be provided around the detention ponds, according to the documents.
Jay Williams, League City Parks Board vice president, wrote a letter to City Council in support of adding these items to the design of Bay Colony Park. Speaking on behalf of the parks and 4B boards, Williams said the items are “essential to the design intent of the park.”
Construction for the three additional items is estimated to be $630,200, not including TBG’s fee of $36,200. City Council’s approval to plan and design the amendments does not necessarily mean they will be included in construction; when the project is bid out, the cost of all items will be evaluated and presented to City Council for consideration, the documents read.
City Council voted down the amendment 4-4 on March 22, but it was brought before council again after Council Members Andy Mann and Nick Long put it on the April 12 agenda. Mann explained he wanted it on the agenda again because voting it down means the three items would not be possible, and he wanted council to have another chance to make sure they voted how they want.
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“I wanted to keep the possibility of that beautiful park alive ...” he said.
The vote passed 5-3 with Long and Council Members Justin Hicks and John Bowen against.
