Divine Designs awarded contract for welcome center

The Elk River City Council awarded on Sept. 3 a contract to Divine Designs General Contracting for a base bid of $244,000 and Alternate 1 (ADA Accessibility) of $26,110 to construct the Plants and Things Recreation Complex Welcome Plaza.

The city sponsorship agreement with Plants and Things USA details a welcome plaza to be constructed utilizing the money collected ($350,000 over 10 years).

The Parks and Recreation Commission members provided feedback on the design considerations during their work session on June 12. Steve Hickman was contacted and shown the conceptual images to solicit feedback from the sponsor.

Project bids closed on Tuesday, Aug. 27, and there were four bidders. HKGi estimated the project cost with the alternate(s) included to be $241,090. The project bids ranged from $270,110.00 to $395,631.25.

Staff will issue a change order to remove the logo in concrete with sandblasting and staining, which amounted to $35,000 (estimated at $5,000) to cut project costs while fulfilling the sponsorship agreement.

The funding source for the Plants and Things Recreation Complex Welcome Plaza will be the Park Improvement Fund, using sponsorship funds described in the agreement with Plants and Things USA that amount to $350,000 over 10 years.

Divine Designs General Contracting submitted the lowest price for the base bid and alternate 1. Divine Designs General Contracting has experience in quality concrete and site work. A post-bid opening phone conversation with Jeffery Martin (owner) about the project proved they had a through understanding of project conditions and requirements, according to thecity.