Title
Consider approving Resolution No. 2024-039 authorizing the City Manager to execute Change Order No.007 for the Venue 1842 Project at the Historical Park in the amount of $136,309 to Gadberry Construction Company, Inc.; and take appropriate action.
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BACKGROUND:
In 2018, discussions began with the City Council to build an event center at the Historical Park to accommodate the growing need for indoor space to hold large gatherings and rentals. To complement the historic structures of the Historical Park, the new event center would be designed to resemble a rustic barn and would be located where a barn traditionally would have been at such a settlement, placed among the meadows and overlooking Farmers Branch Creek. While designed to look quaint and rustic, the center would be a state-of-the-art modern structure for weddings, conferences, and all manner of ceremonies and events.
In March 2019, a business plan was developed and presented to the City Council, and approval was given to move forward on preparing architectural renderings and a site plan. The COVID-19 pandemic put the Event Center on hold; however, in October 2020, an update was presented, and the Council approved finalizing the architectural renderings to proceed with the project once funding assistance was secured. In November 2021, potential grant funding became available through the federal E.D.A. American Rescue Plan Act Travel and Tourism program, designed to help communities impacted by the pandemic. The E.D.A. notified the City that they would be awarded $1.4 million in May 2022 to offset the construction costs for the new Event Center.
City Council approved the Gadberry Construction Company Inc. contract on February 7, 2023, and construction began in the spring of 2023. It is expected to be completed in April 2024.
DISCUSSION:
Since the project began, Parks and Recreation Department staff has worked with Gadberry Construction Company Inc. on six change orders that, due in part t...
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