The City of Chandler is jumpstarting plans to spruce up Imel and Reed Parks.
The City Council voted in their monthly meeting on March 11 to award contracts to two companies for the projects; however, these plans have been in the works for about a year or so.
They approved a $427,860.98 contract with Scapes, Inc. for Imel Park, which is located behind and around City Hall and named after former Mayor Gene Imel. The plans include a small pavilion at the top of the hill right behind City Hall, mostly for employee use. Down below, there will be a larger pavilion with electric outlets available to the public, along with a sidewalk that will run from the parking lot to the pavilion, according to City Manager Jason Orr. He suggested using a reservation system for the pavilion. The parking lot currently has five spots, but they may add to that in the future.
The company will plant 52 different trees around the area in fall colors, build up a berm along Route 66 to make sure children don’t run into the street, and install anewstone“Welcome to Chandler” sign.
“The idea was to have low maintenance stuff as well, so there’s not any fancy flower beds out there that we have to maintain. The only thing we have to do is go out and mow,” Orr said. “And like I said, a lot of different fall colors in there.”
Owen Lindsay from Scapes, Inc., said they plan to remove a lot of the underbrush but will leave many of the trees already in the area, especially those along the railroad tracks. The company has its own 20-acre nursery where they grow all of the plants and trees they use in their projects. All the foliage to be used in the Imel Park project has been handselected from this nursery.
“You have different heights and different fall colors, so it extends the fall period. You get the maples that go first, and then there’s different oaks, and I believe the other one is pistache, so you get different colors at different times,” Lindsay said.
In a separate project to take place over the summer, a mural will be painted on the retaining wall around the curve, using $10,000 donated by Chandler alum and Texas Rangers pitcher Jon Gray.
The Council approved a $507,000.000contractwith Firebrand Construction for Phase 1 of Reed Park. Darran Scott from Kimley Horn said they received six bids for the project, and Firebrand’s was the lowest and right in line with what the City wanted to spend.
The company is based out of Stillwater and has been around for about 15 years. Past construction projects include remodeling the wrestling locker room at Oklahoma State University.
Orr said they plan to build a pavilion, basketball court, and new parking lot in the area. In later phases, the City could potentially build a walking path that goes over to the old cotton gin and do something with the property across the street, which it also owns.
Currently, there is no set day to break ground, but work should start soon. Orr said they first need to get the bond paperwork completely for the next week or so for both projects before issuing a Notice to Proceed. He added that they hope to start breaking ground soon after that. Both companies will have 180 days from the NTPto complete the parks.