New riverfront building's cost surprises some

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By Tory Brecht | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 10:36 AM CDT | () comments

Davenport aldermen are struggling with a bit of sticker shock over the cost of a new building planned for Centennial Park.

The unexpected popularity of a skatepark — the first element of a multi-phase plan to turn 55 acres of brownfield Mississippi riverfront into a thriving recreational area — has altered plans for where restrooms, a concession area and utilities should be located, City Administrator Craig Malin said Tuesday.

Young users of the park, in particular, are crossing four lanes of River Drive to get pop and snacks and use the restroom at a nearby convenience store, Malin said.

Previously, the utilities and restrooms were going to be spread out, with some south of the railroad tracks that bisect the park and some part of the originally proposed expanded ice skating facility. The original plan did not include concessions, he said.

The current plan, however, calls for all three elements to be housed in one 1,500-square-foot, $525,000 building.

Several aldermen have questioned the cost.

“I think we’re all in agreement this is good,” said Alderman Barney Barnhill, 7th Ward. “The question we have is whether we’re getting $500,000 worth.”

Third Ward Alderman Keith Meyer was less diplomatic.

“I resent being placed in a position of having to vote for expensive projects,” he said. “Malin has not the slightest idea of how hard people in this community have to work to pay for his projects and how much they have to give up of their own dreams to fund his. Some people get a high from spending tax money by the bucket loads. I get a low similar to cleaning my uncle’s dairy barn.”

Meyer said a stronger effort should be made to bring in private investment — he suggested a White Castle fast food restaurant — to service parkgoers.

Malin, however, said it’s virtually impossible to get financing for those types of private investments in a floodplain.

One of the reasons the building is as expensive as it is, he said, is that it must be elevated and durable enough to withstand flooding.

Still, he believes private investment — particularly in areas just north of River Drive — will follow public investment in the RiverVision plan.

“That’s a time-tested truth,” he said. “The city has approached floodplain management in a more environmentally responsible and cost effective manner than any other city in the nation by pulling back from the river. We’re turning a brownfield into a city-wide asset.”

In a memo to the council, project manager Charlie Heston broke down the various elements of the proposed facility. They include ADA-accessible restrooms, indoor and outdoor seating for the concession area and mechanicals and controls for lighting, irrigation and other needs throughout the entire park.

Malin said putting all those elements in one building will prove to be cheaper than doing them separately. In addition, he said a private sector concessionaire will be hired to run the snack bar, which will create revenue.

“We’re not spending a half-million dollars to build a bathroom,” he said.

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com