With Phase 1 of the Johnstone Pavilion project well underway, steps were taken Tuesday by the Bartlesville City Council to move the project into the second phase — the construction of restrooms and parking near the 6,000 square foot pavilion, which is located at the entrance of Johnstone Park.
Construction of the open-sided pavilion, or Phase 1, is currently underway at the intersection of Hensley Boulevard and Cherokee Avenue. Work on this phase is expected to conclude in early October or before — weather permitting, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers said this week.
“We had a slight delay in this project when some of the wrong beams were shipped and, due to the delay, the contractor had to pull off the project temporarily for another job,” Siemers said. “But we now have the correct beams and the contractor resumed work on the pavilion phase of the project this week. It should take three to four weeks to complete the construction, as long as weather conditions allow for work to continue.”
During a regularly scheduled council meeting held Tuesday, the City Council voted 5-0 to approve a bid award to AES Precast Co. Inc. of Northport, Ala., to complete Phase 2 of the project — consisting primarily of restroom construction and parking — for $68,150.
The multi-phase Johnstone Pavilion project is funded using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, which are administered by the Department of Commerce, with a 50/50 match by the City of Bartlesville.
Funding for the first three phases, which will total $723,008, will come from the CDBG grants received in 2014-1016. This cost does not included the LED sign, already on-site, which was paid for by Leadership Bartlesville Class 24. The second phase of the project will be funded utilizing the remaining 2015 CDBG funds not used for Phase 1. Funding for Phase 3, which will include pavers for the plaza area, a new sidewalk around the south and east side of the block and site lighting, will be provided through the 2016 CDBG funds, once awarded by the State and accepted by the City Council.
Bids for the project were initially received in June; however, the sole bid was over budget, prompting City staff to re-evaluate the project.
“It was concluded the best way to handle it would be to bid the pre-fabricated precast restroom as a stand-alone item and to allocate some of the work to existing City staff,” Siemers said.
The associated site work is to be completed by the Public Works Department staff so that funds will go further for materials to complete the site work. Additionally, the amount of concrete adjacent to the pavilion constructed as part of Phase 1 will be reduced to minimize staff resources on the project.
“The intent is to also hire a contractor to install a rock skirt around the base of the restroom so it will match the rock pedestals at each column on the pavilion and the rock on the Johnstone Park sign that was recently donated by Leadership Bartlesville Class 24,” Siemers said.
Three bids were received for Phase 2 of the project, with AES Precast submitting the low bid of $68,150. The bid is $37,385 below the remaining budget for the project. The council approved the bid award Tuesday with a unanimous vote.
“This is an exciting project that really dresses up this part of our community,” said Ward 2 Councilor John J. Kane.
The project is part of a larger plan aimed at enhancing the City’s park system while working in partnership with other organizations that are working to bolster the downtown area.