The Madison Board of Public Works approved a $746,000 contractor bid for the renovation of Elizabeth Link Peace Park at its meeting Wednesday.
Six of the eight bidders for the project were considered non-responsive for failing to show effort to meet the city’s affirmative action requirements, which require developers to include women and ethnic minorities in their projects.
Members of the board said there should be no surprises for the bidding firms since the current affirmative action rules have been effective since 1992.
According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, Tri-North Builders, Inc.’s winning bid would still have been the most cost-effective bid even if the other bidding firms were considered responsive. The other eligible bid would have cost nearly $800,000.
The proposed changes to Peace Park will include an ATM, the first public restrooms in the State Street area, a police kiosk and an outdoor stage Verveer said will be used for civic events such as Freakfest.
Verveer said the new design will allow students to take advantage of Peace Park’s convenient location near State Street. He added he hopes the new plan will make residents of the area rethink their perceptions of Peace Park.
“It’s always troubled me that right in the heart of State Street surrounded by only a few block radius are literally thousands of students,” Verveer said. “Very few students take advantage of Peace Park.”
The Peace Park proposal will go before City Council at a Feb. 23 meeting for final approval. City officials expect the renovation to be completed by the end of the summer.
The board also heard opposition from Bassett neighborhood landlords concerned about a planned renovation of Broom Street between Johnson and Doty Streets.
The renovation, which is planned to begin the Monday after University of Wisconsin spring graduation and end before Labor Day, will resurface Broom Street and install upscale pedestrian lights at a total cost of $1.7 million.
The board will allow property owners to pay for the new pedestrian lights, which cost approximately $7,000 per unit including wiring in either a lump sum or over a period of 15 years.
Cliff Fisher, owner of Metropolitan Place, complained about the expenses of the pedestrian lights.
“Where do we come up with $13,000?” Fisher asked. “Are these gold-plated lights?”
Verveer said he has been pushing for the project for more than a decade and believes it is important to nighttime safety in the area.
He said the type of lights being installed have already been installed on other streets in the neighborhood and will prevent light from getting blocked by trees in the summer.
The project will also close Broom Street for the summer. City planners will detour Johnson Street traffic to North Shore Drive and Bedford Street.
