EDISON – The Township Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a $10.8 million contract for the construction of a new sports recreation facility, more than twice the $5 million originally earmarked for the project.
This comes after the Council in April rejected bids of $10.8 million and $14.1 million for the project, in an effort to allow more proposal options to be considered, Mayor Sam Joshi said at the time.
Councilman Richard Brescher acknowledged the project’s price tag is much higher than the governing body anticipated.
He explained the price for the sports facility, where work will involve the removal of the existing buildings and trailers at the Edison Jets Field, 370 Central Ave., went as high as $12 million before the plan was reduced.
Township Business Administrator Sonia Alves-Viveiros said the project’s funding comes from 2022 capital improvements and other bond ordinances.
Public documents indicate the new sports facility will be a pre-engineered metal building with a surrounding one- or two-story podium structure framed of steel columns, steel beams and a composite metal deck slab. Both structures will be supported on concrete shallow foundations.
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system will be dedicated for a sports area with high occupancy, as well as providing traditional systems for office and storage areas, according to the documents. The heating will be provided with an air source heat pump and supplemental hot water heater and the electrical system will include a dedicated transformer and emergency generator, the documents say.
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The building also will be equipped with new connections to water and sewer utilities as well as a fire alarm and sprinkler system and is slated to be used for cheerleading, wrestling, football, basketball, lacrosse and other activities year-round.
The Township Council also will vote Wednesday on a $2.8 million contract to build a splash park at Papainni Park.
The original proposal featured cultural artifacts reimagined as sprinklers, splash zones and tipping buckets of water, with a replica of the Edison Tower in the park’s center.
Councilwoman Joyce Ship-Freeman said that under a prior administration, the splash park was estimated to cost $5 million and questioned if the size of this facility had been downsized.
“Even if we’re going to get a small one, I’m good with it because we’re actually doing something for the children of Edison,” she said.
The township is hoping to break ground on some of the projects this fall, with work on the splash park expected to continue to the spring, while the sports facility is estimated to take about a year to complete.
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Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
