Erie Community Park: Build It and They Will Come

By Ernest Rodriguez, RLA, ASLA, LEED AP

 

In the summer of 2008, the Town of Erie, Colorado, selected Olsson Associates to provide owner's representation and project management services for its first ever community park, a 43-acre site located in the center of the community.

Realizing the scale and complexity of the project and its abbreviated schedule, the town looked to Olsson Associates and its experience in public sector park and recreation design to spearhead the efforts. Olsson proved to be the right partner to facilitate the project and help Erie realize its ambitious plans.

Within 15 months, the design and construction of the $5.4 million facility had been completed, and, on April 3, 2010, Erie opened its 43-acre community park with four lighted ball fields, three playgrounds, a picnic area, tennis courts, a civic green, multi-use fields, restrooms, trails, and a concessions building.

True to the words, "build it and they will come," the four ball fields are fully booked for the baseball and softball seasons with leagues from Erie and the surrounding communities, planning games, practices, and tournaments at the new park. Businesses near the community park are already anticipating the boost in sales from the new activity in town.

As the town's representative and project manager, Olsson provided preliminary programming, reviewed schedules and budgets, drafted and advertised the design request for qualifications, led the selection process, negotiated with the chosen consultant, oversaw the master plan refinement process, and acted as the primary liaison between the design consultant and Erie's staff members in developing a bid-ready set of plans and project specifications.

Additionally, Olsson led the process to pre-qualify general contractors for the project to ensure that only the highest-qualified contractors would be considered for the project. This process allowed the pre-qualified contractors access to preliminary plans and details, which allowed the bidding process to be condensed into two weeks and resulted in highly competitive and comprehensive bids. The successful bid allowed Erie to construct all of its base bid elements, as well as all 11 additional bid alternates, which added even more critical amenities than what was originally planned. Olsson Associates continued its owner's representation and project management services through construction and facilitated the construction of this complex project.

Olsson Associates also provided grant application preparation services for a Greater Outdoor Colorado (GOCO) grant. A $199,000 grant was awarded in December 2008, which was used to construct a fourth ball field, completing the four-field complex and making "The Ballfield at Erie Park" one of the premier baseball and softball complexes within the region.

Finally, Olsson negotiated with an oil and gas company, which has an active drilling site within the park, and reached an agreement that minimized the drilling site's footprint and maximized the use of this area for overflow parking. The oil and gas company also agreed to provide interpretive signage adjacent to their operations to explain the type of drilling that was being conducted underground and the importance of energy exploration in Colorado.

The opening of the Erie Community Park exemplifies the partnership that Olsson Associates can have with Colorado communities: to provide the owner's representation, project management services, grant writing support, and negotiation expertise to help make a town's vision a reality.

You can reach Ernest Rodriguez with Olsson's Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning team at erodriguez@oaconsulting.com.

 

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