2/15/2019 Crystal’s Becker Park will see improvements costing nearly $6 million | Crystal/Robbinsdale | hometownsource.

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Crystal’s Becker Park will see improvements costing nearly $6

million
By Raymond T. Rivard raymond.rivard@ecm-inc.com Feb 14, 2019 Updated 22 hrs ago

An artist’s rendering of the improvements at Becker Park in Crystal. The total cost of improvements at the park is nearing
$6 million.
(Submitted art)

Redevelopment of the park expected to begin by April

Crystal’s Becker Park, at Bass Lake Road and County Road 81, will receive signi cant upgrades,
starting in a couple of months.

The project got a kickstart Feb. 5 as the Crystal City Council approved a motion to hire Custom
Builders, Inc., to oversee the major construction at the location.
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The city’s plans include nalizing the contracts and issuing the notice to proceed in February, a pre-
construction meeting in early March and the beginning of construction, depending on the weather, in
late March or early April. The project is expected to be substantially complete in September or
October and a grand opening is expected in the spring of 2020.

The project, which has been in the planning stages for more than a year, recently received four bids.
The low bid was from Custom Builders of $3,502,275.

City o cials were pleased with all of the bids, and the bid of Custom Builders came in well below the
engineer’s estimate of around $3.9 million.

John Elholm, the city’s parks and recreation department director, told the council that the bids “came
in very favorably ... considerably less than the estimate.”

The bids, which included a total base bid, alternates, and a total bid, came in as follows:

- Custom Builders, Inc.: total base bid $3,307,400; alternates, $194,875; total bid, $3,502,275;

- Peterson Companies: total base bid, $3,331,526; alternates, $244,847; Total bid, $3,576,373;

- Veit & Company: total base bid, $3,753,329; alternates, $249,394; total bid, $4,002,723; and

- Pember Companies: total base bid, $3,846,263; Alternates, $262,001; total bid, $4,108,264.

While this bid provides for construction services, there are also several other costs that will bring the
total cost of the project closer to $6 million.

The other project costs include:

- 10 percent contingency, $350,228;

- Consultant contracts, $515,000;

- Play area (estimate), $620,000;

- Estimate of direct city costs, removals, ordering benches, tables and other amenities, $275,000;

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2/15/2019 Crystal’s Becker Park will see improvements costing nearly $6 million | Crystal/Robbinsdale | hometownsource.com

The estimated total costs as reported to the council on Dec. 4, 2018, was $5,750,000.

Revenue

While the city taxpayers will pay for much of the total cost of the improvements, the city has been
attracting funding through grants and donations.

“As we add funds, the amount from the city will be decreased,” Elholm told the council. “We will
continue to look for additional revenue streams. If we don’t spend contingencies, that will be less the
city has to spend. Any additional funds we receive will lower the amount the city has to pay.”

At this point, the revenues on the books are:

- Crystal Parks Fund, $1,257,250;

- Crystal EDA, $1,200,000;

- Government grants, $417,750;

- Paul’s Pals (nonpro t for play area), $50,000;

- Three Rivers Park District (restroom), $59,000;

- Auction sales/fence recycling, $21,000;

- Donations, $4,000; and

- Hennepin County grant for trail, $80,000

Other project revenue includes:

- Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources - clean water fund, $725,000;

- Shingle Creek Watershed, $250,000;

- Met Council green infrastructure, $200,000;

- Met Council stormwater grant, $150,000;

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2/15/2019 Crystal’s Becker Park will see improvements costing nearly $6 million | Crystal/Robbinsdale | hometownsource.com

- Shingle Creek Watershed cost share, $50,000;

- City stormwater fund (pending), $25,000;

- Hennepin County NR opportunity grant, $100,000; and

- Minnesota PCA clean water partner loan (at 0 percent over 10 years), $1,250,000

For more information and updates about the entire project, visit beckerpark.com.

Follow the Sun Post on Facebook at facebook.com/mnsunpost.

(Submitted art)

An artist’s rendering of the improvements at Becker Park in Crystal. The total cost of improvements
at the park is nearing $6 million.

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