The same company that will provide the components for Castlegar’s castle play structure will also install it.
City council awarded a contract this week worth $386,000 to Parkworks Solutions Corp. of Kelowna.
The primary part of the playground was ordered last year at a cost of $827,000 and is expected to arrive next month.
Parkworks was chosen from among three firms that submitted proposals. City staff evaluated them based on experience and qualifications, plan and schedule and gave Parkworks the edge.
“Using the same vendor to install the equipment that is also supplying and delivering will reduce or eliminate coordination issues onsite and allow for full warranty certifications to be in place,” a report to council read.
Last month council decided on a location for the 12-meter high structure in Millennium Park and also decided to add accessible play equipment to the project.
The present contract is just for the installation of the play equipment and a pour-in-place rubberized safety surface.
Still to come is the award of a contract for site works, including earthworks, landscaping, and irrigation. The tender call was issued last week and closes July 6. It’s expected to be before council later that month.
That work needs to be completed before the play equipment and safety surfacing can go ahead. The new playground is to be billed as Canada’s tallest castle play structure.
The overall project, which includes other components, is budgeted at $1.9 million, of which $1.2 million has come through a federal grant.
Responding to a question from council about the project’s budget, engineering manager Travis Christianson said it is “starting to creep up a little bit” but they won’t know exactly where things sit until the final contract is awarded.