The Spokane Park Board voted recently to use a general contractor/construction manager  approach for the $64.3 million Riverfront Park update project, approved by voters in November, and now the search is on to hire an adviser to help the city select a GC/CM for the project, says Juliet Sinisterra, park project manager. 

 “We hope to be drawing up the contract the first few weeks of March,” she says. “I’m sure we’ll get applications from all over the state.” 

The adviser role is that of a consultant who will assist the city with the GC/CM process and with contract negotiations with GC/CM candidates, says Sinisterra. She adds that the adviser must have “substantial, successful experience with the GC/CM deliver method in Washington state, including project review committee approval and contractor procurement.”

Spokane Park Board’s bond implementation is moving forward at a brisk pace, she says, adding that the GC/CM method was chosen since it means the city will only have one contract to oversee and one contractor will oversee all site access and construction by subcontractors. 

The GC/CM method does require approval from Washington state, but there is no bidding involved, she adds. 

“We also chose that delivery method because we want to maintain events in the park during the renovations,” she says. The GC/CM method enables the park to do that, she says, and creates a partnership and fosters cooperation between the park board, the design team, and the general contractor. 

Project management firms here have shown a lot of interest in the project, Sinisterra says. 

Several large contractors here have GC/CM experience, including  Bouten Construction Co.,  Lydig Construction Inc., Garco Construction Inc. and Graham Construction & Management Inc.  

Later this month or in early March, Leroy Eadie, parks director, says the department will issue a Request For Qualifications for a designer of public spaces and park grounds, a consultant to lead and assist the city with the overall design of the upgrades to Riverfront Park. Eadie says the design team will be tasked with creating an ultimate design of “extraordinary quality and vision.”

The design team will consist of several companies—including a lead firm—that will be responsible for public spaces and the park as a whole, although the team won’t design specific venues, such as relocating the ice rink and other structures within the park.

“There definitely will be multiple companies and several disciplines involved in the design process,” Eadie says.

Once the design process begins, there will be a number of opportunities for public input on design presentations and open project-specific meetings, he adds. The park department also is putting together several committees to help with the oversight of the project. 

Eadie says, “We want to make sure citizens are involved in the design process and know that the park will be open during the design and building phases.”