Ewert Splash Park construction to be discussed

Apr. 12—Efforts will start this month to hire a contractor to build the Ewert Splash Park, and a presentation about that process will be given Monday night at a meeting of the Joplin City Council.

It will be the first project in which the city will use what is called a "construction manager at-risk" rather than the usual "bid-build" process for a construction project.

Rather than the city taking bids and accepting the lowest bid, the "construction manager at-risk" is a method in which a contractor assumes the risk for the construction project at a contracted price as a general contractor and provides consultation regarding construction during and after the design of the project, according to city documents.

The construction manager provides a guaranteed maximum price for the cost of the project. To do that, the project is managed and construction costs are managed to remain within the guaranteed price.

Plans called for the construction of splash park to be free for community use during warmer months and an ice ribbon feature around the splash park that can be frozen in cold weather for ice skating. There would be an admission fee for the ice ribbon with optional rental of ice skates, according to the city's earlier plans.

A splash park was planned for Ewert because the existing pool was closed several years ago when it was leaking and repairs would have been costly, according to city staff. The splash park idea was proposed as a potential draw for both Joplin residents and out-of-towners as a destination. It would be cheaper to operate than a pool, city officials said, and would not require many lifeguards, which have been in short supply the past few years for city pools.

The council also will look at refined architectural plans for the proposed construction and remodeling of a downtown justice center to house the main police and fire stations, the City Jail and Municipal Court.

The council also will consider the final readings of an agreement it gave first-round approval to at a meeting on April 2.

Allo Missouri, a Nebraska-based company, would build a $40 million high-speed, fiber optic service to provide internet access, television and phone services with final approval by the city.

The city would spend $5 million to provide extra services for city buildings, hospitals and schools to protect their systems if another disaster occurred or in case of a cyberattack.

Meeting detailsThe council meets at 6 p.m. Monday on the fifth floor of City Hall, 602 S. Main St. The meeting also can viewed online at http://www.joplinmo.org/182/Video-Multimedia and on KGCS-TV on Channel 21.