Electric City Council votes funds toward new parks

The Electric City council Tuesday night agreed to move forward with its plan to develop two new parks.

But the council is going to step back and approve parts of the park development in phases.

The council approved $8,292 for McNett Park and $7,262 for the Grand Avenue Park, which will take the city through the design and review stage.

Robert Droll, the landscape architect selected to see the park project through, appeared and walked council members through the project.

He started by telling the council, "I have to own up to my mistakes, and I wish I could give a reason why I made them." He referred to a cost miscalculation when he first presented his proposal.

The first proposal calculated the cost of each park at $31,190. Droll said that this projection did not include all of the phases of the parks project.

The new figures show that the projected cost for the design and engineering of Grand Avenue Park would be $42,912, and for the McNett Park $48,962.

The money voted Tuesday night will get both parks past the master plan and through the cost estimate phase.

The council, and Droll, both appeared comfortable with voting the money on each phase of the project.

Droll's firm was recommended by the community parks advisory group and accepted by the council in June's council meeting.

Droll said that the money just voted will enable him to get the plans ready for public review and council consideration, with some changes if necessary.

The landscape architect liked the idea of an Ice Age Flood theme and recommended that it be carefully thought out and executed.

Droll's appearance and overview took up much of the council meeting last night.