Weaver Park Community Update
In response to community feedback, this update outlines recent progress and remaining work for the Weaver Park Improvements project.
Project Communications
The City of Asheville acknowledges that project communications up to this point were not sufficient, particularly regarding advance notice for adjacent residents and finalized design sharing. In response, we are committed to applying these lessons to ensure our future project communications and outreach is transparent, inclusive and consistent. While this shortfall is recognized, the linked Project Activities and Communication Timeline document demonstrates several years of communication and public input which was important in informing the development of this project. This information will be added to the City’s project page along with the plan for the additional work which is documented in this letter. Anyone who is interested in getting regular updates about projects in Asheville is encouraged to subscribe on the public input page associated with that project.
Existing Project
The contractor still has remaining punchlist items which they must complete in order to consider the project finished. Punchlist items are common with every project but have no financial impact to the project. Staff is working to have the contractor on site to complete this work starting on September 1 and anticipates that it will take approximately 6 weeks to complete all of the punchlist items.
Ball Field Lighting Repair
The ballfield lighting contractor has visited the site and made repairs to the lights on the left field pole.
Electrical Repairs
New power lines must be installed to both the restroom and the scoreboard. The installation of this power line will require additional conduit be installed outside of the right field outfield fence. Staff is seeking quotes from electrical contractors to complete the work. This work will also allow for the restrooms to be reopened. Additionally, the restrooms have been evaluated for code compliance and changes have been made to address potential safety concerns. City staff have scheduled an onsite meeting with electrical contractors to discuss quoting the work and anticipate the work to take 10 to 12 weeks to complete.
Replace Small Playground Ladder
Community members have expressed concern about the existing small ladder on the new playground equipment being difficult for young children to access. Although the equipment is accessible and is appropriately sized for users in the 2 to 12 age groups, staff have looked at alternatives to make it easier to access the equipment. In order to accommodate the widest range of users, the Custom Rubber Ramp will be installed. This is a long lead time item. The purchase order will be issued in early September and is anticipated to take approximately 25 weeks for delivery and installation.
Custom Rubber Ramp
Park Benches
Because Weaver Park lies entirely in the floodplain and largely within the floodway, enhancing this park comes with some significant environmental challenges. Staff plans to install three benches in shaded areas around the playground and one at the basketball court next week, in locations that meet floodplain requirements and avoiding utility conflicts.
Dugouts and Bullpen (Fencing)
Both of these areas were built according to plan. The dugouts were modeled off of other recently constructed fields (Shiloh and Ray Kasiah Fields) with the idea of making improvements to the space and sightlines for those watching the game. The decision to build in this way did not take into consideration the aspects of little league play that make this configuration impractical. Additionally the bullpen on the right field side of the park was constructed too short as a result of a design error.
It is the City’s plan to rectify both of these issues through a separate fencing contract. Since the contractor built these areas as per plan they are not responsible for making changes. There will be a separate, fencing specific, contract to modify these areas. The height of the fence has also been raised as an issue. Staff will evaluate extending the fence but may consider supplemental netting rather than 8 foot fence fabric. Staff reached out to fencing contractors on August 11 to solicit pricing for this work. The work is anticipated to take 16-18 weeks to complete.
Field Renovations
Field renovations were not part of the previous contract. Due to the timing and cost constraints, staff chose not to include this work in the scope of the project. Some minor repairs were made to the field to repair areas where construction activity caused damage. Staff has been in communication with field renovation contractors to scope and schedule work activities.
Recognizing that North Asheville Little League (NALL) is the primary user of this field, staff will ensure that league representatives are included in preliminary discussions in order to identify the needs and develop this improvement project. It is anticipated that this work could start as early as October 1 and will take approximately 20 weeks to complete.
NALL also asked for staff to consider a long-term formal partnership for field access and utilization. Staff is open to this type of formal partnership and will reach out to NALL leadership to evaluate the possibility of creating a partnership.
Timelines
The timelines listed in this document are estimates and are subject to change based upon a number of factors including contractor and material availability, weather and lead times.
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