City officials have reached a settlement for reconstruction of the Island Park Playground and a replacement playground should be in place by late spring or early summer, city manager Warren Porter said Tuesday.
The city has already received an insurance check for about $190,000 to purchase materials for the park, which burned to the ground last fall. The materials have already been ordered.
A settlement to cover the labor of a general contractor ? work expected to cost about $100,000 ? is complete and just needs city commission approval.
With architectural fees included, the playground should cost roughly $360,000 to replace. City commissioners will need to approve both the final contract for a general contractor and one for architectural and design services.
Porter said the contracts will likely be ready for review and final passage when commissioners meet on March 16. The insurance company has chosen Wichita-based Don D. Rutherford and Sons Inc. to reconstruct the playground.
The company deals only in insurance-repair related construction.
Barring any delays in approving final contracts, construction on the playground could start by late March. Work should take six to eight weeks.
City crews have already placed a crushed rock base in the footprint of the old playground. The rock will be covered with a concrete foundation on which the playground will be constructed.
Though the playground will look much the same as the one that was destroyed it will have at least one main difference ? safety surfacing on the floor of the playground will be wheelchair friendly.
