Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Agreement with Berger Partnership to Complete Phase 1 Design at Yelm Highway Community Park
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Berger Partnership to complete phase 1 Design at Yelm Highway Community Park.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Berger Partnership to complete phase 1 Design at Yelm Highway Community Park.
Staff Contact:
Paul Simmons, Parks, Arts & Recreation Director, 360.753.8462
Laura Keehan, Parks Planning & Design Manager, 360.570.5855
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
The Yelm Highway Community Park project is entering its final step prior to construction. This design contract with Berger Partnership will complete the 30%, 60%, 90% Design/Building Permit, and 100% Design (Drawings, Specifications, Cost Estimate) for the Phase 1 park improvements. Phase 1 park improvements include:
• Park maintenance office and shop buildings, and supporting elements such as parking, fencing, materials storage, and covered storage.
• One full-size lighted synthetic turf soccer field with all necessary associated items such as netting and goals.
• Twelve pickleball courts and associated items such as seating, site furnishings, fencing, and gates.
• Two full-size basketball courts.
• One mini-pitch soccer field (Sounders RAVE Foundation funded) and associated YALP interactive play equipment.
• One restroom building that also accommodates storage, food truck support, and space for the sprayground mechanical and plumbing equipment. This building will be located in a central plaza area that will also accommodate seating, covered bike parking, trash, etc.
• One custom picnic shelter.
• One approximately 7,500 SF Playground.
• One Sprayground: this will be designed and bid as an additive alternate.
• Multiple paved loop trails.
• Four picnic shelters: this will be designed and bid as an additive alternate.
• All associated furnishings (bike racks, seating, picnic tables).
• One dog park with fencing, gates, and other required amenities.
• One asphalt paved parking lot and one gravel parking lot to support activities at the north end of the park as well as the dog park.
• Art incorporated into the landscape (1% for the Arts Program).
The Yelm Highway Community Park project is built on two decades of community planning and prior investments into the property acquisition, master plan development, land use permit approval and habitat conservation plan mitigation.
Historical Project Timeline
• 2004: Olympia voters pass the Voted Utility Tax Measure to increase the park system by 500 acres. Yelm Highway Community Park site listed in voter fact sheet.
• 2004: Greene Parcel (3.24 acres) purchased at SW corner of Wiggins Rd. and Yelm Highway to get a toehold into hopeful future larger park acquisition.
• 2010: Olympia community identifies the need for a community park to accommodate soccer fields in the 2010 Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan.
• 2014: Yelm Highway property identified as the preferred site for a future community park in the 2014 Community Park Suitability Assessment.
• 2016: Community Park to include soccer fields is again included in the Parks, Arts and Recreation Plan.
• 2018: OPARD purchases 83 acres for $10.7 million from the Zahn family for a Community Park with soccer fields.
• 2019: OPARD hires Berger Partnership to develop a park master plan with the community.
• 2021: OPARD awarded $1 million acquisition grant from WA State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO).
• 2022: The project is awarded $850,000 in grant funds from RCO for construction of Phase 1 park improvements.
• 2024: Thurston County Hearings Examiner approves the land use permit for Yelm Highway Community Park and a Certificate of Inclusion in the Thurston County Habitat Conservation Program for gopher mitigation is issued for the park site.
This final design contract will complete the construction documents and prepare the project for bid in early 2026.
Climate Analysis:
The park maintenance buildings will utilize electric heat pumps and be built solar ready. Electric vehicle parking stalls will be provided in both the park maintenance facility parking area, as well as the main parking lot for park users. Additionally, the park site hosts by a bus stop on Yelm Highway. Locating community parks in urban areas close to residences reduces the distance of vehicle trips and protects forest and agriculture resource lands in the County from urban development.
Landscaping at the site will be drought-tolerant and the soccer field will utilize synthetic turf which does not require fertilizer or watering. The existing forest area and wetland located at the southern end of the park site will be preserved thus providing climate and habitat benefits.
Equity Analysis:
Parks play an important role in the community as places that are free and open to the public for social connection and gathering, physical and mental health, and preservation and connection with nature. Team sports for both youth and adults supports community building. Yelm Highway Community Park has been chosen as a location for a Sounders RAVE Foundation soccer mini-pitch. A mini-pitch allows for small groups of informal pick-up play and the Foundation commits to free ongoing youth programming at the mini-pitch. Thurston County Pickleball Association also offers free weekly pickleball lessons for community members.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
The community identified acquisition and development of a large community park site for soccer fields as a high priority in the 2002, 2010, 2016 and 2022 Parks, Arts and Recreation Plans. In the City’s 2014 Community Park Site Suitability Assessment, the Yelm Highway parcel ranked as the preferred site for a new community park.
Over a thousand community members participated in the Yelm Highway Community Park Master Plan process that occurred from 2019-2022. Soccer players, pickleball players and neighbors from The Hamptons and Indian Summer neighborhoods have also shown particular interest in the site.
Financial Impact:
This contract will complete the construction documents for the project and finalize the cost estimate for the Phase 1 improvements. The contract for $1,369,554.10 will utilize capital funding identified in the 2024-2029 Capital Facilities Plan. Debt service of voted utility tax and metropolitan park district funds for future construction and maintenance is anticipated.
To date the project has received $850,000 in grant funds for construction and $87,000 in community and foundation donations for future construction of the park.
Options:
1. Approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Berger Partnership to complete phase 1 Design at Yelm Highway Community Park.
2. Move to modify the Resolution or contract with Berger Partnership to complete the design documents for Phase 1 of Yelm Highway Community Park.
3. Do not approve the approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Berger Partnership to complete phase 1 Design at Yelm Highway Community Park. This would prevent the project from proceeding to construction and the City would lose all grants and donations received for the park project.
Attachments:
Resolution
Agreement