Columbus City Council members have approved allocating $567,300 in funds for a contract with Hitchcock Design Group that extends through the end of the proposed riverfront redevelopment project.
The design of the project includes the removal of the lowhead dam, access for safety personnel, maintenance and repair of the river banks, economic and workforce development, ecology, connections, compelling attractions and a “captivating appearance,” according to the contract.
Hitchcock Design Group will, among other things, finalize the project’s design and engineering, coordinate with regulatory agencies, prepare bidding and construction documentation and help the city review contractor submissions and monitor construction, the contract states.
The contract totals $536,300, but includes $31,000 in optional add-ons, including a $10,000 owner contingency plan set aside for additions or modifications of the scope of the work, a $10,400 post-construction review to analyze how the project has withstood changing seasons and regular use and a $10,600 erosion control plan to be completed by the contractor.
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Before the city council’s vote on Tuesday, District 4 councilman Frank Miller raised some questions about project’s costs, but ultimately said safety and practical concerns outweighed the cost of the project.
“I’ve never been 100% on board with this project, but the safety concerns and the practical concerns of the project, I think, outweigh the other concerns that residents have as far as cost and what is going on with the project,” he said during the city council meeting. “I think it’s a necessary project for those two purposes, the practical side and the safety side.”
In December, Columbus Redevelopment Commission members recommended that the council approve the contract after a presentation from Randy Royer, lead designer with Hitchcock Design Group, detailing the final two phases of the proposed riverfront redevelopment.
The city filed its application with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in October for the proposed $8.6 million conceptual plan calling for several overlooks of the East Fork White River downtown, connections to the People Trail system and an in-water recreation area.
The project is funded primarily through tax increment financing, or TIF funds, which are received on commercial and industrial properties within the TIF district, Pope said. The city has received a $100,000 grant from the Columbus Parks Foundation and is also seeking grants from the Heritage Fund — The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County and through Indiana’s Next Level Trails Grant program.
Construction on the riverfront could then begin in July 2020 and extend through November 2021. The project is expected to close out between December 2021 and January 2022.
City officials said they expect to receive needed permits from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in April.
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Visit columbusriverfront.org for more information about the project.
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