Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 03/13/2026

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that they were received on time, and generally good, and embarked upon a process of elimination to determine the preferred proposal. As PIP was the desire for the playground replacement at Riverdale Park, the panel evaluated the proposals based on PIP proposals from 6 vendors. The following is a summary of the referenced process: The panel began with elimination of the St. Croix Recreation proposal first, as that vendor did not respond to Addendum 1 with removal of pea gravel surfacing as requested. Similarly, the panel then removed proposer Minnesota Wisconsin Playground because they did not respond to Addendum 2 with the addition of concrete curbing. The next to be eliminated was Midwest Playscapes due to having fewer swings and slides than the Finnegan Playground Adventures playground. The panel then chose Finnegan's proposal for elimination because it had fewer playground components than Northland Recreation and Flagship. The three judge panel concluded the evaluation of the six proposals by noting that Northland Recreation and Flagship Recreation had the same number of major play components for the primary play structure —however, Flagship provided 3 musical instruments and a non-verbal communication board. Staff is recommending Flagship's proposal that includes Poured -in -Place surfacing, for an amount of $229,866. Concurrent with the issuance of the RFP earlier this Winter, and in recognition that the city may not get a suitable playground replacement that included PIP (for the amount identified in the 2026 CIP), staff explored applying for a MN Department of Natural Resources grant for approximately $125k to supplement the $125k identified in the CIP for a total project cost that would fund the desired proposal by Flagship. At City Council's regular March loth meeting, the Council will have approved Resolution #26-075 authorizing staff to apply for this MN DNR grant. For this reason and opportunity, staff is recommending that the Riverdale Park playground replacement be 'paused' at this time, to apply for the grant which is due for submission on or before March 31 st, 2026. The city will learn as to its success in the grant application no later than early Summer of 2026, and therefore can determine the best course of action at that time, based upon the available funding and having completed the comprehensive RFP process. This "pause" is not anticipated to impact costs as proposals are to be honored for a period of 90 days from the date of submission. Funding Source: Pursuant to the Playground Replacement Policy, funding for playground refurbishment and replacements would be from the Lawful Gambling Fund. Recommendation: Staff recommends pausing the replacement process for Riverdale Park's playground to determine if the city is successful with the application to the MN DNR for supplemental funding. Outcome/Action: By motion or consensus, affirm that Flagship Recreation's proposal to include Poured -in -Place surfacing is the preferred solution for the Riverdale Park playground replacement —and that a recommendation on proceeding will occur later in 2026 when the available funding is known. 2026 RFP Recommended playground proposal 2026 CIP Attachments