Stolley Park to see road improvements this fall

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – Stolley Park will see improvements to several roads, parking lots and sidewalks beginning this fall.

The Grand Island City Council on Tuesday night approved a bid from Alfred Benesch and Company. It will include construction management and testing services for the project and will cost no more than $71,800.

Grand Island Parks and Recreation Director Todd McCoy said the updates are necessary to improve accessibility to the park.

“Of course, we host a lot of picnics and community events, so it’s important to make it user-friendly so it’s accessible,” McCoy said. “Not everyone can walk on uneven terrain, so it’s helpful to have paved trails for everyone to walk on.”

In addition to accessibility, McCoy said the project is important to help people enjoy the work that has already been done throughout the park to improve the experience.

“There’s standing water and potholes and things like that, so we wanted to improve that,” McCoy said. “We’ve also been doing some improvements here at Stolley Park with the splash pad and the new playground, so we just wanted to expand some of those parking areas and make them a little more user-friendly.”

McCoy also said he hopes the improvements will help enhance the event experience at Stolley Park in the future.

“I think it will be very accessible parking and it will give it a cleaner look with all the new pavement we’re putting in here and the sidewalks,” McCoy said. “I think going forward, we have events planned that will make those events more successful.”

On January 25, 2022, the City Council approved the contracting of Alfred Benesch & Company, Grand Island, to provide preliminary design services for roadway and parking improvements at Stolley Park. The cost for the preliminary design was $34,922.00. On November 22, 2022, the City Council approved Alfred Benesch & Company for paving design and construction services. The approved cost was $57,255.00.

On May 23, 2023, the City Council approved a construction agreement with JIL Asphalt Paving Co. of Grand Island in the amount of $289,088.10 to complete Phase I improvements to roadways and parking areas at Stolley Park. Phase I improvements were completed in the fall of 2023, for a final payment amount of $272,682.43.

On January 9, 2024, the City Council approved an amendment with Alfred Benesch & Company for Phase II design services. The approved amendment cost was $39,286. The Parks and Recreation Department advertised for bids for Phase II of Stolley Park Paving Improvements on June 29, 2024. A bid was received from Diamond Engineering Company of Grand Island in the amount of $653,714.10.

Notable improvements included in Phase II work include an asphalt overlay of all existing and new roads and parking lots and a new network of concrete sidewalks within the park.

The unanimous approval of Alfred Benesch and Company’s bid at Tuesday night’s meeting means construction on the pavement improvements could begin as early as October.

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