Board members reviewed a set of playground proposals for Martha Mees Avenue Park and asked staff to prepare a formal RFP to solicit multiple bids. Richard, Parks Director, presented one complete proposal from a manufacturer with turnkey and equipment-only options and price ranges that varied depending on scope and surfacing.
Richard gave three price examples from one vendor: a $118,000 turnkey option (mulch surfacing, excludes demo and drainage), a $95,500 turnkey option, and an equipment-only “Red Shoulder Hawk” option priced at about $111,000; a turnkey hawk-plus-egg option was estimated by Richard at about $203,000 (removing the egg would reduce cost by roughly $27,000). Richard said mulch was recommended for the site because the area slopes toward the preserve and pour-in-place surfacing would require significant grading and increase runoff concerns.
Board members discussed design priorities — providing play elements for 2–5 and 5–12 age groups, keeping an organic/nature motif to match the park, accessibility concerns (ADA compliance for surfacing), and funding avenues including grants. Richard noted the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) has community grants up to $100,000 that could be competitive for a playground with an environmental-education angle; the board discussed emphasizing the town’s bird-city identity to strengthen grant applications. The board also discussed potential donor fundraising and partnership outreach (for example through local “Keep…Really Beautiful,” as raised during the meeting).
The board directed staff to draft an RFP that describes a wooden/nature-themed motif, asks respondents to provide two surfacing cost options (mulch vs. permeable pour-in-place) and invites the playground companies the department has identified to submit proposals. Richard said the city’s procurement limit meant any project over $100,000 would require an RFP; several board members said they want multiple companies to bid rather than selecting the single vendor whose sample was presented.
No vote to award a contract was taken; the board asked staff to return with an RFP draft at the next meeting and to pursue additional bids and funding sources.