Croffoot Park construction to begin this summer

The city of Hayden will contract with LaRiviere Inc. to expand Croffoot Park this summer, after the construction company’s bid came in $430,000 below budget.

LaRiviere provided the lowest of five bids at $1.84 million to expand the sports complex by 10 acres to the south. The bid included restrooms, pathways, parking, picnic shelters, food truck access and an additional field.

“We’ve been trying to cut things out of the project, and eliminate anything that’s unnecessary to save money,” public works technician Dan Hall said.

The city originally budgeted $436,000 from city impact fees and the general fund, which matched a grant of $436,000 by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, plus design costs. The original budget also included $1.3 million dedicated by the Hayden Urban Renewal District for an early estimated cost of $2.272 million.

The grant provides match funding up to $500,000, with design costs, so the city aimed to spend as close to that as possible.

Originally, the project included 6 acres, but the National Park Service added a stipulation that to receive the grant the scope must include the full 10-acre lot, Recreation Director Suzanne Cano said in a memo dated Jan. 3, 2022.

With the low bid and grant match, the city will be able to keep more money in the general fund for other projects, like roadway intersections.

Construction is planned to start in July and the deadline to complete the project and use the grant funding is Dec. 31.

“We have been talking to the grant people and we may need to request an extension,” Hall said.

The goal is to complete the project by the deadline, but weather conditions will be a factor in finishing construction.

At the latest, the park will likely be completed by spring of 2024.