Possible reductions to Wald Park project presented to council

With the cost of the final phase of renovations to Wald Park much higher than originally anticipated due to changes in the project’s scope and the rising cost of construction materials, the Vestavia Hills City Council will have to deliberate on what, if anything, to cut from the project.

Raynor Boles with TCU Consulting, the project manager for the city’s Community Spaces Plan, presented roughly $900,000 of possible savings to the council at the June 13 meeting. Those changes were part of value engineering, an effort to decrease the cost of the project. The council is not bound to accept any of those proposals, but the low bidder for the project, Duncan Thompson, has accepted that there might be some changes due to the higher-than-expected cost, City Manager Jeff Downes told the council.

One of the recommendations was to take bathrooms away from the proposed tennis building,  but the City Council nearly unanimously told Boles, and Downes, there needed to be bathrooms at that site. Boles said the projected savings from eliminating the restrooms was about $435,000.

That cost would cover not just bathrooms, but a covered pavilion, ADA accessibility to those bathrooms and a storage room for court users, Boles told the Vestavia Voice.

Other proposed changes include removing the plan for a maintenance pad. Boles said with that building no longer needed, the pad could be used as a parking lot to accommodate more spaces.

The original budget for Wald Park Phase Three was roughly $1.8 million and included two dog parks, walking trails, parking, a green area and tennis courts and a tennis pavilion. The project is now north of $4 million and includes six tennis courts, six pickleball courts, more than 100 parking spaces, a dog park and a walking trail.

Downes told the council there is about $3.7 million in Community Spaces funds now, so the hope is to be able to get construction costs “as close to $3.75 million as possible.” The only remaining Community Spaces projects outside of Wald Park are the Civic Center, set to open later this year, and sidewalks. Cinnamon McCulley, the city’s communications specialist, said the current budget for sidewalks is about $1.7 million.

Downes said he expects the city will spend about $500,000 more than anticipated for the completion of Wald Park and might look at funding the project through other sources.

In other business, the City Council reinvested the city’s emergency reserve funds at Morgan Stanley at a 2.31% interest rate. Downes projected the move would add about $450,000 to that fund next fiscal year.

The council also approved spending an additional $87,800 to make more emergency pipe repairs at Oakview Lane. Following the recent improvements to portions of the pipe under that road, additional sections of old metal pipe recently collapsed during a rain event, causing “sinkholes within the roadway asphalt and preventing access for homes and businesses,” City Engineer Christopher Brady told Downes in an email.

Mike Leddy from Crown Castle shared a new method of deploying fiber optic cable, which, in theory, reduces the impact on property and traffic. The method is called “Rapid Connect,” and involves using a small, moving crew that simultaneously cuts, places and seals underground fiber without shutting down traffic, Leddy told the council. The work is supposed to pose no risk to striking existing utility lines as well, Leddy said.

Only a small portion of the roadway is removed and is recycled, meaning less waste is sent to the landfill, Leddy said. Crown would build, own and maintain the cable network and provide 24/7 service, he said.

Downes said the city will test the service before giving it blanket approval for future projects.

The city also honored retiring Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce President Karen Odle for her nearly 20 years of service to the city. Odle, who is also a past member of the Vestavia Hills Board of Education, thanked the city, her family and friends for helping her over the years.

“It does indeed take a village,” Odle said.

The city declared June 14 as “Karen Odle Day.”