Kaufman Weighs a $256,950 Design Contract for Kings Fort Park as It Seeks a State Grant
Kaufman's council votes Monday on a $256,950 contract to design Kings Fort Park improvements. The city hopes a TPWD grant will help, but the firm is paid either way.
The Kaufman City Council will vote Monday night on a $256,950 contract to design a long list of improvements at Kings Fort Park. The city hopes a state grant will cover much of the bill.
The item is on the consent agenda for the 6:30 p.m. regular meeting Monday, Oct. 26, at City Hall, 209 S. Washington St., according to the posted agenda. Consent items are normally approved together in a single vote unless a council member asks to pull one for discussion. A work session starts at 6 p.m.
What the city would buy
According to the agenda packet, the contract would hire Teague Nall and Perkins, a Fort Worth engineering firm, to provide surveying, landscape architecture, engineering and construction management for the park. The firm's proposal, dated Aug. 22, lists the improvements the design would cover:
Trail network connections and accessible hike-and-bike trails
Accessible practice fields
Native habitat restoration
A bioswale and drainage flume network and an enhanced detention outfall
An "inclusive interpretive heritage playground"
A picnic pavilion, a drinking fountain and a bench with a recycling and trash station
A fitness court and a prefabricated restroom
The proposal says the park plan grew out of public input gathered for the city's parks and open space master plan, adopted Aug. 5, 2019. It estimated the total project budget at $2.35 million as of 2023 and says that with inflation and added features, the budget "will increase to $2.55 million" in 2026.
Where the $256,950 goes
The fee is a fixed lump sum. The firm's breakdown shows $147,200 for basic design services, including $47,000 for landscape architecture and $24,000 for structural engineering, and $102,250 for special services. The special services include $12,000 to prepare the state grant application, $16,000 for grant coordination, $21,000 for geotechnical work and $35,750 for environmental investigation. Reimbursable expenses add $7,500.
The environmental work would include an archeological and cultural resource assessment and coordination with the Texas Historical Commission, along with a report tied to a proposed pedestrian bridge.
The Kaufman County Courthouse, where the city plans its Christmas On The Square on Dec. 5. Photo from 2014. Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
The grant, and the fine print
City Manager Mike Holder's cover memo says the cost of the services "is reimbursable through the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Grant, if awarded." It says the city is applying to TPWD for $750,000, "with the same being the maximum match for the City." The memo says the city's match will come from park development funds received under a 2014 development agreement. The memo does not explain that agreement further.
Residents should note one line in the contract itself. It says that "payment for the CONSULTANT's services shall not be contingent upon the CLIENT's available project-specific funds or anticipated future funding." In plain terms, the firm gets paid whether or not the grant comes through. Either side may end the agreement with 10 days' written notice, and the city would pay for work already done.
The packet does not include a project schedule. The contract says one will be developed within 10 business days after the city issues a notice to proceed. Staff recommends approval.
Also on the agenda
The council will also consider an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to close the courthouse square from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, for Kaufman's "Christmas On The Square." A second resolution would close parts of SH 243, Business SH 34 and East Fair Street from 4:30 to 8 p.m. that day for the Christmas parade.
Other items include a replat that would subdivide lots in the Kings Fort Market Center shopping center on Kings Fort Parkway, a petition from Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative asking the city to annex about 18.95 acres, and a resolution formally creating a Keep Kaufman Beautiful Board. In closed session, the council is set to consult its attorney about a lawsuit listed as Enclave at Kings Fort, Inc. v. City of Kaufman, and to discuss two economic development prospects the agenda calls Projects Adventure and Tortilla.
Spend with care
A better park is a good thing for families, and state grants can stretch local dollars. But a quarter-million-dollar design contract on the consent agenda deserves a few public questions: what happens if the grant is denied, and where the rest of a $2.55 million project would come from. Residents may speak on any agenda item during citizen comments at the start of the meeting.
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