ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Another step forward in the new water park project was taken during the most recent Liberal City Commission meeting Tuesday evening.
Discussion mostly centered on the water park design-build agreement with Hutton.
“For the Hutton design-build agreements for the city water park project, the breakdown is as follows: the Base Contract Agreement; Insurance and Bonds; the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) Amendment (which will not be incorporated into the contract until the time of setting the GMP, which will come after the design and bidding process is complete); and the Owner’s Program, which will be used to outline the city’s initial intention for the project,” City Manager Scarlette Diseker said. “Legal counsel has reviewed all documents and given recommendations prior to the publication of the agenda. City staff recommend the approval of the design-build agreements with Hutton for the water park project.”
“Just to be clear, this just includes what the maximum final price could be, we haven’t actually gotten any prices or any of that done yet?” Vice Mayor Janeth Vazquez asked.
“That is correct,” Diseker said.
Other commissioners then gave their thoughts.
“I wasn’t able to read through everything, but I did scan through it, and I was wondering if it’s a separate price for this contract service, or are we going to include that in the final bill of everything?” Mayor Jeff Parsons asked.
“The way this contract agreement works is with Exhibit AIA A141, which is the base contract agreement, that sets most of the terms and conditions of the contract,” Hutton Western Kansas Leader Andrew Fahrmeier said. “That does include pricing and the not-to-exceed dollar amount. For the budget itself, the design and build, that will all be established in the future when things get more settled. As we progress through the design, we do share that information, which includes the costs. None of the billing for the construction costs will come until after more factors are set, and again, we will keep the city updated on all of our progress.”
“And this is how most projects are handled when we’re keeping up with the progress of everything, so this is not abnormal,” Diseker said.
“I see there’s a construction commencement date set for April 2027, with the completion of the splash pads for July 2027, and another part set for completion in February 2028,” Commissioner Jose Lara said. “Are we pretty set on those estimates?”
“Those are the dates we’re working toward, but there is still a lot of work to be done throughout the design process between now and then,” Fahrmeier said. “But those are the dates we’re targeting. We know time is of the essence, and we want to be sure and get the facility open to the community as soon as possible.”
Discussion continued between Fahrmeier and the rest of the commission and after that discussion, the commission ultimately approved the design-build agreements with Hutton for the water park project.
