Riverside Memorial Park projects make progress

Projects at Riverside Memorial Park are both moving forward and being put on hold. 

While new playground equipment is being put in at the park this month, plans for a riverbank armoring project are being postponed for now. 

The City of Green River has been working on projects at Riverside Memorial Park for some time, according to Public Works Director Mark Westenskow. Originally, the playground and riverbank projects were combined into one. However, when the city put the project out to bid, they only received bids that "weren't acceptable," Westenskow explained. So, they made the decision to separate the projects in an effort to get more contractors interested and get better bids.

For the playground, this decision seems to have helped make the project become a reality.

"City crews will begin the process of removing the current Riverside Park playground with hopes of having the new playground in place by the end of the month," the city announced in a press release on Tuesday afternoon. "Contractors will be in the city this month to erect the new playground equipment."

The city also referred to the playground project as "phase one of several planned for improvements on the Greenbelt and riverbank stabilization."

Further phases of the project, however, won't be able to continue yet.

Westenskow spoke to the City Council during their meeting Tuesday night and explained that going out to bid for the riverbank armoring project wasn't successful, since the city wasn't able to get "a broad pool" of bids.

"The Bid Opening, held on September 12, 2024, resulted in one bid," council documents explained. "The bid exceeded the total funds available for the project by a significant amount. Therefore, we have no choice but to recommend rejecting all bids received for the project." 

Westenskow noted that the city has received two grants for projects at Riverside Memorial Park, which were received when the projects were combined into one. When Councilmember Robert Berg asked how long the grants are good for, Westenskow explained that the city has received an extension on the grants so they are good for another year and won't be lost immediately.

Councilmember Sherry Bushman asked for Westenskow to advise the public of the original budget for the projects, which he answered was "in the $200,000 range," including both the playground and riverbank projects and other work on the park.

City Administrator Reed Clevenger told the council that the city is currently looking at other solutions for the park and the riverbank armoring, including talking to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He said they will continue to look at other possibilities to achieve the same goal and meet the grant requirements, but the city will just have to "take a different avenue" for the project.

The council voted unanimously to reject all bids for the Riverside Memorial Park riverbank armoring project.

The Greenbelt Task Force, which works closely with the City Council on improvements along the Greenbelt, said in their master plan that one of the goals for Riverside Memorial Park is to "install a council ring or shelter as a gathering spot or a place for boaters to stop and watch activity at the whitewater structure," but "a great deal of riverbank stabilization needs to occur in the park prior to pursuing a new shelter."