Oak Park Moves Forward with Event Hub Plans, Approves Architectural Contract
(Staff report, Feb. 2, 2024)
Oak Park, MI – The City of Oak Park is moving forward with plans for an event hub near city hall. They released an update on the progress, stating:
“The groundwork to Elevate Oak Park was prepared when voters approved two secure funding mechanisms for the transformation of the City’s parks and recreation amenities. Now, the foundation is being set with the approval of the Architectural / Engineering Design Services contract with Neumann Smith Architecture for the Event Hub and Municipal Services Buildout for the total not-to-exceed price of $397,525.00.
“The Oak Park City Council voted to approve this contract 4-0 at the Jan. 22, 2024 City Council meeting. This contract will allows the selected Architectural/Engineer Design firm to create designs and provide professional engineering services for the design and construction of a 5,000 square foot Event Hub, an adjacent bandshell, open area for community gathering, as well as a memorial garden to honor the residents of the City of Oak Park. A portion of the contract amount will be paid for from the General Fund to cover the Municipal Services Buildout aspect.
“Moving forward with this contract is a major step in making the event hub a reality,” said City Manager Erik Tungate. “This is a monumental project for this City..truly, truly transformational.”
“Requests for Proposals for design and professional engineering services were sent to various firms in late 2023 and seven proposals were returned to the City of Oak Park. The City’s selection team reviewed these proposals with the following criteria in mind: prior experience, proposed project schedule, fees and the makeup of the project team. Neumann Smith Architecture not only met the criteria, but exceeded expectations.
“Neumann Smith Architecture has an extensive project list, especially as it relates to community centers, recreational facilities and farmers markets. Some notable projects include the 1,000 square foot event space at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s Robert C. Valvalde Park, the renovation for the City of Royal Oak Farmers Market and the Macomb Township Community Recreation Center. To view more of their projects, and their full proposal for the Elevate Oak Park Project, click here.
“Now that City Council has approved moving forward with the contract, the City Manager will finalize it and then the design process with Neumann Smith Architecture will begin.
“It’s an aggressive timeline but we are going to hold to that the schedule as strict as we can,” said Deputy City Manager/Public Works Director David DeCoster. “Our intent is to have a shovel in the ground in 2024.”
“It is important to note that while the Municipal Services Buildout will be paid for by separate funds, it does tie into the overall Elevate Oak Park vision. With the building of a new Community Center, the space where the current Community Center and Municipal Services buildings are will become vital for the new vision.”
