College Station City Council members unanimously approved contracts Feb. 26 to replace playground equipment at Bee Creek Park and W.A. Tarrow Park and install a new shade shelter in the Lincoln Recreation Center area.
What’s new
Playground equipment at Bee Creek Park—located at 1900 Anderson St., College Station—and W.A. Tarrow Park—located at 107 Holleman Drive, College Station—will be replaced due to the playgrounds’ age and condition, according to meeting documents.
During the Feb. 26 council meeting, council members approved a construction contract with Sugar Land-based Fun Abounds Inc. for two projects to demolish and install new playgrounds at the two parks as part of the consent agenda. The total cost of the projects is $398,482, with $39,848.20 in contingency funding from the city, set aside to cover unexpected expenses that may arise during the projects.
Project costs include:
- $191,275: Bee Creek Park
- $207,207: W.A. Tarrow Park
Custom-designed playground units by playground product supplier Burke will be installed at each park, according to meeting documents.
Per proposal details included in the meeting documents, playground features at each park may include:
- Educational play panels
- Overhead bars for building upper body strength and endurance
- Twisty slides
- Climbing obstacles
- Swings (W.A. Tarrow)
- The Serenity Spot to sit, socialize and relax (W.A. Tarrow)
Also of noteCouncil members also approved a construction contract with BH Harris Construction for improvements in the Lincoln Recreation Center area at 1000 Eleanor St. near W.A. Tallow Park as part of the consent agenda. Per meeting documents, the $474,128 contract—plus the city’s contingency amount of $47,412—includes:
- Demolition of some existing pavement and infrastructure
- Construction of a new shade shelter
- Paving
- Infrastructure
- Site preparation work
Improvements are necessary to prepare for the installation of a prepurchased, premanufactured restroom building to be delivered for the playground area this summer.
The project is part of Lincoln Center area improvements outlined in the city’s bond package, which voters approved in 2022. According to city information, $493,488.07 has been spent from the project’s $1.55 million budget in addition to the Feb. 26 contract cost.
Also on the agenda
As the city prepares for tourism growth, council members approved a resolution during the regular meeting Feb. 26 authorizing the city manager to sign off on expenditures over $100,000 for major tourism events that will stimulate the local economy. City Manager Bryan Woods said this resolution ups the threshold the city manager has for approving expenses to $250,000 from the previous $100,000 limit.
“What we’ve seen over the last year and even more recently—specifically in the case of Texas A&M [University] and some exceptional events that we’ve been able to partner with them on—is sometimes opportunities come up and the ability to commit to those incentives [to partner for events] has to happen quickly, maybe even sometimes without the ability to call a meeting and have [City Council] vote on them,” Woods said during the meeting. “As we look at greater events and see the possibilities that are out there, we think that there will be some that may require a commitment above that [$100,000 statutory limit].”
The approval increases the city manager’s authority only as it applies to expenses funded through hotel occupancy tax revenue, according to city information. Woods said the resolution, which was recommended unanimously by the tourism advisory committee, also clarifies that the city manager may consult with the mayor and tourism committee chairperson when signing off on HOT-funded expenditures.
“The intent is to use this only when time doesn’t allow [for council approval],” Woods said.
