City Council Meeting Date: April 7, 2026
To: Mayor and Members of Council
City Administrator
From: Andrew Tussing, Streets & Parks Manager
David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Title
Consider Accepting Bids and Awarding Contract - 2026 Park Improvements Project (PARK2025-E18).
Body
Action Requested:
Staff recommends approval of the attached Resolution (Attachment 1) accepting bids and awarding the contract for the 2026 Park Improvements Project (PARK2025-E18).
Summary Report:
2026 Park Improvement Project consists of site work, landscaping, and restoration for the reconstruction of playgrounds at three (3) parks within the city. The parks include Central Park, Dresden Hill Park, and Riverside Lions Park.
The City has been working with Bruce Jacobson (Landscape Architect) and Bolten & Menk, Inc. to replace the playground off Seventh Street in Riverside Park and make updates and improvements to both Central Park and Dresden Hill Park.
Staff has held neighborhood meetings and worked with Park Advisory Board to gather input for current needs of each park. We have also worked with Age Friendly Northfield to get input on making sure each park is fully accessible for all ages.
The City received ten (10) competitive bids (Attachment 6), which were publicly opened and tabulated on February 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The bids ranged from $580,945.00 to $1,012,372.40 with the lowest responsible bidder being Albrecht Company with a total bid amount of $580,945.00.
City Plans & Policies Relevance:
NA
Alternative Options:
Staff recommends awarding project as is and authorizing a budget amendment.
Alternative option is to award project with the removal of Central Park improvements. Park improvements would be reprogrammed another year; however, we believe this project will cost the city at least 10% more with delays and rebidding.
Financial Impacts:
$9,943 will be taken from Capital Park fund and put into the 1% for the Arts and Culture fund...
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