City Council Meeting Date: November 11, 2026
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: David E. Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Discuss Bids from Phase II of the Northfield Skate Park Project and Next Steps.
Body
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council discusses Bids from Phase II of the Northfield Skate Park Project and Next Steps.
Summary Report:
The City of Northfield opened bid for Phase II of the Northfield Skate Park Project on November 4, 2026. The City received 5 bids that ranged in price from $1,140,090.30 to $1,622,629.00. In review the bids for the low 3 bidders, the skate park work was all very close in terms on the bids for that portion of work (KA Witt - $698,000, JL Theis $699,000, and Sunram $713,725) this indicates very close competitive bids.
To provide the City with flexibility, two alternates were bid with the project, Alternate 1 is Lighting for the skatepark, and Alternate 2 is landscaping, shade structure, benches, picnic tables. A more in-depth breakout is below.
|
|
Engineer’s Estimate |
KA Witt |
JL Theis |
|
Base Bid |
$ 553,640.00 |
$ 883,109.25 |
$ 884,759.30 |
|
Alternate 1 - Lighting |
$ 126,000.00 |
$ 102,000.00 |
$ 87,299.00 |
|
Alternate 2 - Landscape/Shade Structures |
$ 161,965.00 |
$ 165,175.00 |
$ 168,032.00 |
|
Total Bid with Alternates |
$ 841,605.00 |
$1,150,284.25 |
$1,140,090.30 |
Note: Low bidder will be determined based on base bid and alternates selected.
Staff will go through options with Council on how they would like to proceed.
Option 1 - Award project with alternates to Low Bidder
Option 2 - Award project without one of the selected alternates.
Option 3 - Rejects the bids. Because of the competitive nature of the bid, the city would need to redesign the skate park and reduce the skatepark size by over ½ to lower the price to get closer to the grant amount received. This would have a significant impact related to input received from skate park users and expanding the experience levels so the park functions better for novice and more experienced skaters.
Background
The City has hired Wizard Skateparks to design the next phase of the skate park and have now held multiple user group meetings and a neighborhood meeting to receive input on Phase II.
The input received from the neighborhood meeting is attached. The primary items the City heard at the meeting include:
• Screening the skate park from surrounding neighborhood.
• Adding rules to skate park
• Lighting concerns from neighborhood along with user concerns if lighting isn’t provided.
• Noise mitigation
• LED rope lighting/feature lighting
• Shade, benches, picnic tables (Phase II contextual additions)
• Crosswalk at Fareway and Seventh Street
Staff will walk through the proposed final concept layout. The final concept layout has been updated to reflect input received. The final concept includes site amenities such as shade, benches, picnic tables, landscape screening, and lighting.
Staff and the skate park users believe lighting should be included for safety and use in the fall and spring seasons. Normal City Park hours are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the proposed lighting would follow park hours and shut off at 10 p.m.
A link to the park project webpage is attached.
Broader Context (Future Phases)
During the City Council's review of the Phase II Skatepark concepts, Council requested that staff evaluate the project within the context of the broader Memorial Park site, rather than as a standalone facility. Specifically, Council encouraged consideration of how the skatepark could better integrate with adjacent park amenities, including the municipal swimming pool, to create a more cohesive and active recreational destination.
Consistent with that direction, the proposed skatepark Phase II design incorporates features intended to enhance the experience for both participants and spectators. Perimeter seating, including limestone seating blocks, provides opportunities for visitors to observe skaters, while adjacent shade structures with picnic tables offer comfortable gathering spaces for families and friends. These elements are intended to encourage longer visits, support informal social interaction, and create an inviting atmosphere for both active users and spectators.
In addition to the Phase II improvements, staff explored several conceptual ideas illustrating how future park enhancements could further strengthen the relationship between the skatepark and swimming pool while maintaining the necessary separation between the paid pool area and the surrounding public park. Examples include a future pavilion/picnic shelter positioned to overlook both amenities, creating opportunities for larger family gatherings, community events, birthday parties, and shared use by visitors to either facility. Additional concepts include potential relocation or expansion of sand volleyball courts, bocce ball courts, and other outdoor recreation amenities that could broaden the appeal of the park to users of all ages and encourage longer stays.
The conceptual illustration also explores opportunities within the existing pool site, such as replacing portions of the underutilized basketball courts with pool cabanas or flexible gathering spaces. These improvements could be designed with a combination of interior pool access and exterior park access, allowing complementary uses while preserving the security and operational needs of the pool facility. While these concepts represent only one possible vision, they demonstrate how future improvements could create stronger connections between amenities and better activate the overall park.
These concepts are presented solely for discussion and long-range planning purposes and are not proposed as part of the current Phase II Skatepark project. Rather, they respond to the City Council's request to evaluate the skatepark within the context of the entire park and illustrate how future investments could build upon one another over time. Experience in other communities has shown that thoughtfully grouping complementary recreational amenities can increase overall park activity, encourage family-oriented use, improve the visitor experience, and maximize the benefit of public investment.
Alternative Options:
Discussion only. The action for this item is planned for December 1, 2026.
Financial Impacts:
• $500,000 Grant from MN DEED
• Capital Park Fund would fund the remaining portion of the project, not funded by the grant. This amount would be determined based on Council direction on the base bid and alternates.
Tentative Timelines:
• December 1, 2026 - City Council: consider vote on direction to award or decline bids based on discussion at the worksession.
• Design 2026
• Construction Tentative Spring 2027
• City has until 12/21/2028 to Complete the Skatepark per the grant agreement with the State.