“We tried to do it all in one bid (in October), but the feedback we received from designers and from contractors who were interested is that it would make more sense to bid the event center itself, and then bid the historic improvements separately, even though we know that those projects can still happen concurrently,” said Kate Bostdorff, the city’s spokeswoman.
Centerville City Council last week voted to approve a more than $6.9 million bid by Brumbaugh Construction, Inc. of Arcanum to complete the event center and parking lot work.
The project is funded in the 2023 Capital Improvement Program with more than $5 million, and appropriations will be made for the remainder of funds, according to the city.
The historic campus work will be bid separately at a later date. Pending those bids being accepted, work on the barn and cottage is anticipated to begin in early 2024 and work on the Gerber House is anticipated to start in early 2025, Centerville officials said.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Majority of Stubbs Park renovations
More than $7.5 million in renovations to the Leonard E. Stubbs Memorial Park are hoped to start this winter, then ramp up as the weather improves in early spring with construction occurring all of 2024, with tentative completion by May 2025, Bostdorff said.
Improvements to the park already addressed include replacing an aging playground in the park with new playground equipment and a solid rubber surface.
Scheduled for 2024 are improvements to the amphitheater’s bandshell, seating area and plaza. Later improvements also will include adding handicap-accessible event seating, updating dance pads and structured grass terrace seating, officials said.
Renovations also will include creating a new event plaza next to the amphitheater, which will have a larger seating and concession area, picnic lawns, a designated food truck area and a deck by the pond.
Also part of the Stubbs Park upgrades will be transforming thousands of feet of narrow gravel paths into 8-foot-wide asphalt trails.
More Uptown parking to be added
More parking and other improvements are on their way to Uptown Centerville in 2024.
The city this year created a connected public parking lot of 100 spaces behind businesses on the north side of West Franklin Street (addresses from 89 through 133 W. Franklin), allowing motorists to pass from lot to lot, simplifying their routes and relieving some traffic on roads.
Centerville also constructed a public parking lot with 43 spaces across the street at 98 W. Franklin St. on the south side.
“They’re still narrowing down which projects are next for parking in Uptown,” Bostdorff said.
The estimated $2.6 million in parking updates are part of a bigger concept plan, one that seeks to connect parking along West Franklin to North Main Street and then north along both sides of that road, city officials previously said.
Bike path design to launch
The city last week also voted to enter into a $387,185 contract with CESO Inc. for design and engineering services for the $1.3 million Clyo/East Franklin Bike Path Design Project.
That project includes a proposed 10-foot hiker-biker path along Clyo Road, from East Alex-Bell Road to East Franklin Street, and another hiker-biker path along East Franklin Road from North Johanna Drive to Clyo Road. The project will also upgrade intersections to ADA compliance.
The hiker-biker extension will connect to existing trails on Alex-Bell Road, Centerville Station Road, Clyo Road, and Bike Route 12. Construction is expected to start in 2027.
“Over the summer, we finished a citywide survey and learned that access to ... biking and walking paths are very important as a quality-of-life amenity for people who live in Centerville and for our neighbors,” Bostdorff said. “That will be something we continue to prioritize. We work with our partners throughout the broader community to be a part of the greater bike path network, which is really impressive in our region.”
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