PALMDALE — Yellen Park will double in size in about 18 months, when construction is complete, under the $17.5 million contract approved on Wednesday by the City Council.
The project, the second phase of the park, which opened in 2018 at 50th Street East and Avenue S, will include a community building, additional restrooms, an additional playground for children ages 2 to 5, picnic areas, a multi-use field and futsal courts.
It will also feature additional lighting along walkways, drought-tolerant landscaping and natural grass and artificial turf areas, according to the staff report.
The Council awarded the contract for the work to Santa Clarita-based R.C. Becker and Son, which submitted the lower of two responsive bids for the project, Public Works Director Lynn Glidden said.
The same firm completed the first phase of the park, “so they’re very familiar with the site,” she said.
The construction bid included two items that could be held off for construction for now, to save money, and could be easily constructed at a later time.
These include not installing eight of the 80-foot light poles around the futsal courts, but installing the underground electrical system to support them and installing only seven of the 11 planned futsal courts and their associated features (benches, striping, nets).
The area for the four future courts, at the south end of the series of courts, could be a passive play area for the time being, Glidden said.
Removing these two items will save $1.3 million from the R.C. Becker and Sons proposal, bringing the cost to $17.5 million, down from $18.8 million.
Additional costs for the project will bring the total to $21.2 million overall, according to the staff report.
At the same time the Council approved the contract, it also approved allocating $5 million from the 2023-2024 Measure AV funds, the city’s sales tax, to make up for a shortfall in city funds for the project.
This is in addition to $5 million already budgeted from Measure AV for the project, Glidden said.
“I think this fits exactly as it should be spent,” Councilmember Richard Loa said of the Measure AV funding.
Councilmember Austin Bishop said the cost of the contract was a surprise, but finishing Yellen Park is part of a yearslong effort by the Council for parks development.
The Yellen Park Phase II was designed and developed as part of a citywide parks improvement program that began in 2019.
(3) comments
Please tell me this Park is "Not" named after Janet Yellen....One of the Many Clueless Losers in Joe Biden's (the Pedophile) Cabinet.
It’s named after Sam Yellen
Whew....Thank You Sally
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