Newberry to scaling back park projects, building in phases

Cost projections for the two Newberry park projects – Triangle Park amphitheater and Martin Luther King Jr. multi-purpose center – suggest that the city will have to scale back both projects drastically or possibly scrap one altogether.

At the Aug. 23 commission meeting, architect Paul Stresing priced Triangle Park amphitheater at about $420,000 and the Martin Luther King Jr. center at $95 per square foot, or $495,000 total.

Newberry is only expecting to have about $500,000 for both projects. The $500,000 is funding the city receives from Wild Spaces Public Places (WSPP), the countywide one-half cent sales tax program.

After viewing the latest numbers, the commission was concerned about how feasible it would be to complete both projects.

“Looks like we got money for one project, and we’re trying to do two,” Commissioner Monty Farnsworth said at the meeting.

Commissioners discussed which project would get priority if the costs remained too great.

Commissioner Lois Forte said the city has been working on Triangle Park much longer, and she doesn’t want to see it stripped down completely to make the money stretch over two projects.

However, the commission did not make a decision yet on whether it will cut one of the projects.

Instead, the focus of the meeting was on how to cut costs.

One method discussed is to build the projects in phases – starting with the core of the project and building with simple concrete block.

“The beauty of building a core building is that you can always add to it,” Stresing said.

The plan had always been to build the projects in phases, but the latest price projections may force the city to go even more bare-bones in the earlier phases.

This means going with concrete over carpeting or tile, for example. Stresing said the aim is to keep the projects simple, frugal and maintenance-free.

Commissioner Joe Hoffman proposed another way to cut costs: cut the size of the projects. At $95 per square feet, making small changes in the width and length of the projects can save several thousand dollars.

Stresing also noted that the $95 per square foot rate is not set in stone. During better economic times, the cost would have been about $125 to $150 per square foot. However, in today’s economic climate, the figure could drop well below $95 per square foot, depending on how the bidding situation works out.

“This is a cost estimate based on current prices. You put it into a bidding situation, that number might drastically reduce,” Stresing said.

Stresing said donations from local businesses would also cut the projects’ cost.

“There are components of it that we could tap into some local resources if they would be interested in participating in the project,” he said.