The City of Issaquah will soon know just how competitive the construction business has gotten as they wait to hear back on bids to put in artificial turf on the play fields at Central Park.
Located in the Issaquah Highlands the park currently has two fields, and depending on how the bids play out the city is hoping to get to get both fully installed with lights.
According to Margaret Macleod, the interagency coordinator and parks planner for Issaquah, bids are due by July 2, and the city hopes to turn dirt in early August. She said there has been a lot of interest in the project, likely because with the slower economy construction projects have also slowed.
Macleod said the city has enough money to completely fund one field with lights and is waiting to hear about a grant to know whether or not the second field can also be completed.
“Our hope is that we have sufficient funding for both,” said Macleod. The project is estimated to cost $2 million, approximately $700 to $800,000 for the field and $600 to $700,000 for the lights.
In other Issaquah Parks and Recreation news, the possible renovation of Julius Boehm Pool is an item to be considered in the city’s upcoming budget process. Over the last few years a pool feasibility study was done and two options have been presented. One would be to build a new pool, the other to renovate the current facility.
Anne McGill, the director of the city’s parks and recreation department, said the project was added to the mayor’s priority list and it will be considered during the budget process.
During a Parks Board meeting on Monday evening McGill reported that sprinkler heads were vandalized last Sunday evening at Harvey Manning Park, north of the Talus development. Vandals apparently ripped off the sprinkler heads at the park while the sprinkler was running, according McGill.
She said the parks department keeps sprinkler heads in stock and that they aren’t very expensive. She did not know how much the damage cost to fix.
“They were replaced right away,” McGill said.
