Council closes out Bay View restroom project
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ALPENA - The Alpena Municipal Council on Aug. 24 unanimously approved a final balancing change order for the completed Bay View Restroom and Pavilion Project, locking in a revised contract of $900,788.38 and authorizing staff to close out the long-delayed waterfront amenity.
Council member Bridget Hollinshead moved to approve Change Order No. 3 in the amount of $13,545.57 and authorized City Manager Rachel Smolinski, Clerk-Treasurer Anna Soik and City Engineer Steve Shultz to execute the document. Mayor Pro Tem Karol Walchak seconded the motion. The council adopted the recommendation after Shultz told members the work is finished and final quantities have been calculated.
The contractor, Meridian Contracting Services LLC of Alpena, submitted a detailed July 30 balancing sheet that nets credits against extras. Reductions totaled $13,511 and additions $27,056.57, for the $13,545.57 increase. The prior contract stood at $887,242.81. The new figure remains below the $912,200 project total written into the grant agreement.aa5de0
"With the Bay View Park Restroom Project completed, the final quantities are calculated, and all the final additions and reductions can be entered into the balancing recommendation," Shultz wrote in an Aug. 20 memorandum to the mayor and council. Staff have already submitted for grant reimbursement and expect payment soon, he said.
During the meeting, a council member asked whether the city had come in under budget. Shultz said the project finished under the grant budget. Shultz noted the city had set aside about $700,000 of its own money for the work and now expects to need roughly $600,788, leaving a remainder that can help finish other needs, including City Hall window work.
The $13,545.57 adjustment is modest compared with earlier increases. The News reported in June that the council had authorized a $47,500 change order for unsuitable soils, sand subbase, a relocated water service tied to the Kiwanis Kiddie Park fountain and resurfacing of the adjacent Prentiss Street parking lot. That work brought the contract to about $887,243. An earlier soil-remediation increase in late 2025 added more than $37,500.
The project has been years in the making. In October 2024, council awarded Meridian the contract after receiving only one bid from 21 firms solicited. Meridian's bid of $805,200 came in below the city's $812,000 estimate. Shultz told the council then that most other contractors already had full 2025 schedules. The city had previously worked with Meridian on restroom buildings at Starlite Beach and the Woodward Avenue trailhead; the Bay View design was intended to match that look.
A $300,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant awarded in 2021 covers part of the cost. The city is matching the remainder with American Rescue Plan Act funds. Portable toilets had served the bandshell, Kiwanis Kiddie Park and Municipal Small Boat Harbor for years after the city closed and later demolished a deteriorating restroom on Harbor Drive. Officials have long said a modern, accessible family restroom with an attached pavilion-style roof, new sidewalks and lighting was needed for concerts, festivals and Fourth of July crowds.
Construction started later than first hoped. Winter work continued after gas service and heat were turned on so crews could finish interior piping and drains. In June, Shultz said the restrooms and parking lot were expected to be usable by July 4, with some restoration afterward. The balancing order now treats the job as complete and authorizes final payment.
Bay View Park remains one of Alpena's busiest waterfront spaces, with the bandshell, playground, harbor, shoreline and the nearby Bay View Sportsplex courts. The new building sits north of the kiddie-park parking lot on Prentiss Street. Officials say it should reduce reliance on rented portable toilets and support events that draw residents and visitors to the Lake Huron waterfront.
The council's vote closes the construction contract. Grant reimbursement is still pending. The revised $900,788.38 total is about $11,400 below the figure presented in the original grant agreement.