Delridge Skatepark update: Bids opened today

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Another milestone bringing the Delridge Skatepark closer to reality: Bids for the project were opened today, according to Seattle Parks‘ Kelly Davidson, who’s leading the project. She notes that nothing is final immediately – so this doesn’t necessarily mean the low bidder gets the contract: “We have a lot of paperwork to complete before this contract can be awarded. The process to review and approve all necessary paperwork usually takes at minimum two weeks. This contract will not be considered awarded until all documentation has been approved by the City.” That said – TF Sahli Construction – which built the two-year-old Lower Woodland skatepark – appears to be the low bidder, at $413,000; second lowest was Grindline Skateparks, the West Seattle firm that designed the Delridge project (subcontracting for Abbotswood, Davidson clarifies; final design shown above) – $502,000; A-1 Landscaping and Construction came in third at $576,000; Construct Company, LLC, was the high bid at $589,000. Construction is expected to start next month. THURSDAY MORNING NOTE: Matthew Lee Johnston, a West Seattleite who’s on the Skatepark Advisory Committee and runs seattleskateparks.org, has published his thoughts on this there.

Silly Goose September 22, 2010 (6:49 pm)

Wow quite the gap in bid prices, is one using more rebar than the other, do the materials match in quality? Just because one bidder is lower doesn’t mean they are better. I sure hope you are checking the materials list and the city won’t end up footing the bills for crumbling concrete in a few years. Just sayin…

nulu September 22, 2010 (9:16 pm)

Did I miss Grindline’s bid amount?

WSB September 22, 2010 (9:32 pm)

Looks like I rolled over it when I added the drawing and the parenthetical pointer to it. As now added in the blurb, $502,000 – TR

Bill September 22, 2010 (9:36 pm)

Interesting that Grindline was able to bid on this project. They must have separated their design and construction into two separate corporations – otherwise it is a conflict of interest.

As for the bids and with the same thinking, Grindline probably put a probable cost for the design and came up with a lower, competitive cost (that they were confident in) for the bid.. Awesome, that we got a low bid saving thousands. Parks still has to a qualifications requirement that they evaluate. Grindline design will still administer the construction, we’ll see…

MLJ September 22, 2010 (10:08 pm)

I still don’t understand the whole “conflict of interest” position. When it comes to projects like Skateparks, design/build simply yields a better product for the stakeholders. I’ve skated the product of both processes, and the lowest bidder thing always introduces unnecessary risk. Sure, if you’re building a sidewalk, then why not get the best deal for the city dollars. But Skateparks are half art, half engineering.
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I find it interesting that all of this controversy is happening a stone’s throw away from the Skatepark around a simple re-design of the golf course. Lots of talk about original vision and artistry. Why not get then lowest bidder to come in and do some landscaping? I’m sure there are plenty of qualified low bidders who can come in and plant some turf, handle the drainage, and terraform the land.
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Oh…right…only special golf course designers can do that.
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As it should be!
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Grindline is a local company, and by local I mean blocks from the site. The local pride they bring to the table on this project is worth at least >100K. I seriously hope Sahli fails the qualifications so our Delridge Skatepark can be built by Delridge residents. You couldn’t write a better story.
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Skateparks should be exempted and allowed for design/build by the same firm. It’s a better deal for the taxpayers, and it yields a better product for the skaters.

MLJ September 22, 2010 (10:14 pm)

http://seattleskateparks.org/?p=1085

WSB September 23, 2010 (5:57 am)

thanks, MLJ, will add to the item – I of course checked your site before publishing this to see if you had anything to link to yet, since you are much more versed on the skatepark subject! – TR

JD September 23, 2010 (7:06 am)

City, County and State facing budget crisis and we’re building this?

MLJ September 23, 2010 (7:22 am)

No worries WSB. I just wanted to make sure people who wanted more info knew where they could get it.
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I understand your position JD.
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These projects are funded years in advance, and often by levy. You can’t collect taxes for parks and then spend that money on something else. If you could, we’d have other problems.
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The other issue I’d like to just throw out there is that free and healthy activities for young people are even more necessary in time of financial need. Families have less disposable income, and having a nice public gathering place with something positive and healthy for kids and families to do together is important and valuable.
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Skateparks are more than just places to skate. They’re fun for spectators too. They provide teens with a place to socialize and interact with other members of their community which is important for their development.
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Finally, getting kids off the couch and encouraging more healthy physical activity will save us healthcare dollars in the long run.
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TomR September 23, 2010 (8:28 am)

Grindline is not just local – they do skateparks all over California and the rest of the country. Even the kids know what Grindline is. Sahli? Probably just a general contract in bad need of work.

bobcat September 23, 2010 (11:09 am)

TF Sahli makes some of the crappiest skateparks in the Seattle area. I’m ashamed that Grindline couldn’t even secure a job less than 2 miles from HQ, and that these hacks will create a total piece of garbage.

Brandon September 23, 2010 (2:09 pm)

Throw my two cents in. Well said MLJ, skateparks are needed. I understand that yes, it may be expensive, but the thing about skateparks is they are actually used. I mean there are tons of things that the government wastes it’s money on that don’t get used. Also, Seattle is woefully behind in the building of skateparks and when more kids are skateboarding then playing little league (old stat) then I do not see the problem with it. I skateboard and I can’t wait for this to be built. Also, let’s hope Grindline gets the bid cause otherwise we’ll get cracks in all the runways ( i have no proof of this )

Tim September 23, 2010 (2:54 pm)

What about an update on the nearby Delridge Playfield renovation? Last coverage was in early July… are they on schedule and what is expected completion date?

foy-boy September 23, 2010 (4:37 pm)

Hey JD you got it right. With the city in a budget crises, why build a skate park. The mayor just told us that their is no money for fire, police, schools. I could see building a skate park in good times, but this just seems nuts. Build a park and ride.

k September 23, 2010 (9:24 pm)

Word Brandon, word.

Exhausted September 24, 2010 (2:35 pm)

@foyboy and JD: Like MLJ tried to explain, this is not a matter of using a restricted budget this year to build. This money was earmarked for a skate park. After a long process the parks department found a community welcoming a skate park. Earmarked may not be the official word to describe it, but frankly that’s the best word I can find.

If you’d like to learn more about how the budget process works in our city, attend your local community council and try to help out – see how the small streets funds or Bridging the Gap projects work.

Billy September 24, 2010 (3:46 pm)

Thanks to the people that have taken the time to attend the meetings and provide their support (and even disapproval) at those meetings.

Glad to see some more progress on this park. Hopefully, the people who are in charge of picking the bidder will realize that cheapest bidder isn’t always the best choice – especially in this case.

The Sahli parks I’ve ridden are just inferior. Weird (non)flow lines, drainage grates in spots that prevent you from skating an obstacle properly, soft galvanized steel used for coping that will slow you down or stop you in a grind, etc.

Go with Grindline!

7Trees September 25, 2010 (11:03 am)

To the powers that be, Please!! Oh please, don’t let Sahli build this park. Why spend all of this money for an inferior product. Use Grindline!!!! Please listen to the user group.

Tea-Skater September 25, 2010 (11:07 am)

This skatepark is taking away me freedums. My tax money is building this secular, socilist collective for alternative thought. Rollerblade for freedums!! Skateparks leed to crime. You could be building more jails.

mark scott September 27, 2010 (8:51 pm)

I wish we were notified of the RFP ,would have loved to bid on this project,–Mark Scott (Dreamland Skateparks LLC)

Matt September 30, 2010 (8:22 pm)

Why wasn’t Dreamland on the RFP????

John Rogers October 4, 2010 (11:22 am)

not sure why everyone wants Grindline…they produced the construction documents and will oversee that everything is built to spec. Product quality will be the same whoever builds it…its guaranteed with a performance bond. City should save $100K because they WILL get the same end result.

Scott Fadler October 5, 2010 (8:00 am)

One of these days we might get a nice professional outdoor concrete skatepark like this. You should see the mess they made out of the few that we have, either the coping is too far in or sticks to far out… Thats what happens when you let sidewalk construction companies make skateparks

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