Midway Construction approved for park project

Midway Construction and Dirt Work of Lovell will be the general contractor on Phase II of the Constitution Park Project, the Lovell Town Council decided Tuesday during a noon special meeting.
Town administrator Jed Nebel said the town received only one bid on the project, but the Midway bid of $319,559 is within the budget for the project. Nebel cited a January 25 letter from project engineer William Bridges of Pryor Mountain Engineering stating that the Midway base bid is “found to be in line with the work asked to be performed,” adding that Pryor Mountain Engineering has worked with Midway on previous projects “and has confidence that they will complete the project as put forth in the plans and specifications.”
The project is being done at the newly renamed Armory Park, but the project documents are in the name Constitution Park, the former name of the park, which was the name when the project was planned, Nebel said.
The base project is multifaceted and includes an outdoor amphitheater, walking path and renovation of the baseball/softball field in the park. The town received a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for the project in the amount of $175,272.50 through a program administered by the State of Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, though the funds are federal funds.
There were also two alternatives in the bid package for lighting around the walking path and hydroseeding and new irrigation for the entire park. Both were recommended to be rejected by Nebel and Pryor Mountain, and the town council did reject the alternative bids Tuesday while awarding the base bid to Midway.
Nebel said the town is still considering lighting for the park, but since the best company to provide the kind of solar lighting that would work in Wyoming is based in Canada, the “buy American” policy of the federal Land and Water Conservation funds would not allow that company to be paid through the grant. He said the town is still considering lighting, which could be added later as a change order.
One of the questions that has come up from the public, councilman Bob Mangus said, is the size of the amphitheater. Nebel said the planned size is 16 by 24 feet, which should be sufficient, and that amphitheater kits are extremely expensive. Thus, the town plans to use a design/build method of construction on the amphitheater to best plan the facility, adding that he has spoken with local musician and contractor Ty Sammons, as well as music producer Steve Mostyn for their input.
Engineer Bridges told the council Tuesday that Midway Construction owner and operator Pete Baxendale will work with Pryor Mountain and the town on the design of the amphitheater and order necessary materials for the project and hopes to begin construction in May. Bridges said Baxendale’s schedule has a completion date in July, but the contract will likely have a finish date of October 1.
Bridges said Pryor Mountain will need to work with Rocky Mountain Power to put in a new service for the amphitheater rather than extending service from another part of the park.
The council voted unanimously to accept the bid from Midway Construction and reject the two alternative bids, as recommended. Town clerk/treasurer Colleen Tippetts asked if the Land and Water Conservation grant money could be transferred to savings until needed. The council voted to approve that move.
The scope of work for Phase II includes:
• The installation of approximately 1,770 feet of walking path in the park;
• Replacing the former skate park with a new flow track style skate park – already accomplished;
• Installing six benches along the walking path;
• Installing 1,000 linear feet of baseball fence;
• Replacing two baseball dugouts; and
• An outdoor recreation shelter/amphitheater.
Catering permits
The council approved three catering permits for the Lovell Community Center Tuesday:
• Friday, Feb. 9, for a Republican fundraising event;
• Saturday, March 16, for a Lovell High School FFA fundraiser;
• Saturday, April 20, for a Ducks Unlimited banquet.