SUNDERLAND — The town has had to go back to the drawing board for its proposed Riverside Park improvements as a result of the recent upsurge in material prices.
Undertaking the full project at the 8-acre park on School Street — which would add a kayak kiosk, renovate restrooms and replace the recreation shed, among other improvements — has proven too costly, Town Administrator Geoff Kravitz recently informed the Selectboard.
“What we thought was going to be the total cost for all the buildings was the cost for the kayak kiosk,” Kravitz said. “I think we need to just sharpen our pencils again.”
Kravitz said the “lowest base bid was 63% higher” than the town had anticipated, and the Selectboard would need to figure out a way to “reduce the scope” of the project to meet the budget.
The town received $185,840 in the form of a Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant in 2020 to help fund the improvement project, which must be spent before a June 1, 2022 deadline. The estimated total cost for the project was originally $278,000.
“We’re in a tough spot,” Kravitz said. “Realistically, the PARC program wanted us to start construction in July and bids probably would have been higher if we had gone out to bid then. … The PARC program said today they were not going to extend the deadline.”
Fellow Selectboard member David Pierce said Sunderland is likely not the only town facing this type of obstacle.
“They must be running into the same issue all across the state,” Pierce said. “We can’t be unique in that respect.”
Kravitz replied affirmatively, saying he had received an email from another town administrator facing the same issues. He said they may seek out other towns and write a joint letter to the state to find a solution.
Kravitz later told the Greenfield Recorder that the PARC coordinator gave the town a “preliminary go ahead” with its plans to do sidewalk and minor paving work while seeking contracts for the remaining improvements.
“We’re going to go back out to bid for the kayak kiosk and baseball equipment storage shed,” Kravitz said by phone. “We’re hoping that the bids come back within budget and get things done in the spring.”
The challenge then becomes meeting the June 1, 2022 deadline, otherwise the town will lose the grant. He added it seems wood is the primary material that has really shot up in price.
“We’re hoping that we will be able to contract with a creative contractor,” Kravitz said. “Maybe they can cut the wood pieces in their shops over the winter and as soon as the ground thaws, pour the foundation … get the site prepped and put it together.”
Despite potentially missing out on some of the improvements, Kravitz said the town is more than happy to complete part of the project.
“We’re very grateful that we’re allowed to move forward and obviously disappointed we can’t do everything we originally wanted to get done,” he said. “We’re going to do our best to get as much done. Maybe it will take a little longer.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.