Item 5A. Award of Construction and Construction Administration Contracts for Pedestrian Bridge Replacements at Elm Creek Park Reserve
Superintendent's Recommendation:
MOTION TO:
- AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REPLACEMENTS IN MAPLE GROVE TO BLACKSTONE CONTRACTORS, LLC. IN THE TOTAL BASE BID AMOUNT OF $1,853,703.37.
- ENTER INTO A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT WITH BOLTON & MENK, INC. TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION SERVICES FOR THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REPLACEMENTS AT ELM CREEK PARK RESERVE WITH A TOTAL HOURLY NOT-TO-EXCEED FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $227,516.00; AND
- ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSTRUCTION BUDGET OF $2,289,341.31 INCLUDING A 10% CONTINGENCY, WITH FINANCING FROM THE 2020, 2024 AND 2025 ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS INCLUDING FUNDING FROM THREE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL GRANTS, A 2024 RECREATION OPEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT GRANT SG-24P2-09-02 AND TWO 2025 PARKS AND TRAILS LEGACY GRANTS (SG-25P4-09-06 AND SG-25P4-09-08).
Prepared By: Blake Hansen, Project Manager
Background:
The Pedestrian Bridge Replacements project will remove and reconstruct four (4) bridges at Elm Creek Park Reserve that have reached the end of their useful life. The bridges serve the Medicine Lake and Rush Creek Regional Trails and internal park trails.
Bid Results:
Advertisement for bids for this project was placed in Finance and Commerce, eAdvert, and QuestCDN. Construction documents were issued on April 16, 2026. Bids for this work were received on May 7, 2026. There were thirteen (13) contractor plan holders of which five (5) submitted bids.
The low bidder is Blackstone Contractors, LLC from Loretto, Minnesota with a total base bid amount of $1,853,703.37.
The Engineer’s estimate of probable construction cost is $1,744,677.00.
The construction contract is based upon unit prices and offers flexibility to increase and decrease quantities of work for pay items listed on the bid form. The final contract amount may be more or less than the original contract amount.
Park District staff and Bolton & Menk, Inc. have confirmed that Blackstone Contractors, LLC. has submitted the lowest responsive and responsible bid and has met the minimum contract requirements for this project.
Construction Administration Services:
Staff recommends approval of a contract with Bolton & Menk, Inc., the engineer-of-record, for the construction administration portion of the project in the hourly-not-to-exceed fee amount of $227,516.00.
Bidder Evaluation:
Some bids come in lower than expected, while others come in higher. All five bidders were relatively close in value, which tells us significant time and effort was spent preparing the quotes, and that the plans were clear and concise. Recent discussions with contractors and suppliers have revealed that long lead times are expected for prefabricated bridges and bridge installers are in high demand. This combination of factors prompted the addition of flexibility to the construction schedule during bidding.
In addition to construction challenges, consulting costs for design and construction administration are higher than budgeted. The additional consulting costs reflect the challenges with permitting, regulatory compliance, site investigation, and data collection encountered during design development.
While construction will exceed the budget allocated for this project, staff believes that constructing the project now will result in cost-savings and reduced impacts over the long term and recommends the Park District proceed with award of the construction contract. This requires additional funding in the amount of $270,000.00 to provide the total construction budget as established by the motion. The additional funding will be provided through available 2020 AMP funds.
Proposed Schedule:
Construction is scheduled to commence as early as August 31, 2026 and no later than September 13, 2027, subject to receipt of the contractor’s proposed schedule and favorable weather conditions. The construction contract requires work to be substantially complete by October 31, 2027.
This project may be constructed across multiple phases. Due to challenging site access and conditions, long lead times for bridge fabrication and a desire to minimize impacts to the public, the contract allows the contractor to construct in 2026 or 2027 during the off-peak seasons. Phasing will minimize impacts during the summer months and allow the contractor flexibility if materials are unavailable or site conditions are unfavorable in a given season.
Impacts to Public Services:
In addition to the increased noise, debris, and temporary traffic delays typically associated with construction activity, impacts to public services will be as follows:
- The trail segments will be closed during active construction activities. Posted detours will not be provided. Trail users will be able to use local city trails or other internal park trails to avoid closed trail segments.
- The Rush Creek Group Camp area will be closed during construction of Bridge 79.
Public Communications Approach:
The public communications plan, following board award of the construction contract, is as follows:
- Signs notifying the public of construction and closures will be placed in strategic and highly visible locations prior to construction.
- Three Rivers will include information and construction updates on the Park District’s website.
Relationship to the System Plan:
The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:
Goal 1: You Belong Here
Goal 2: Parks Matter
Goal 3: Lead by Example
Attachments:
ELM2501_DistrictLocationMap.pdf
ELM2501_ProjectLocationMap.pdf
