Quincy Park Board approves Canton Marine and Towing for dredging at Art Keller Marina

QUINCY— The Quincy Park District Board of Commissioners approved $30,000 Wednesday night to cover dredging costs at Art Keller Marina and Kesler Park.

Canton (Mo.) Marine and Towing was the lone bidder for the project, which will be coordinated from May through April 2023.

“To facilitate boating, dredging is frequently needed after flooding,” said Matt Higley, director of parks, in a prepared statement. “Based on the amount of flooding, dredging could be extensive.”

Canton Marine and Towing’s bid covered its hourly rate of $500, which is an increase of $62.50 per hour over last year. Another proposal that got the green light saw $371,485 approved for road milling and resurfacing at Parker Heights, Riverview and Bob Bangert parks. The lone bidder for the project was Diamond Construction of Quincy.

The board, which had budgeted $380,000 for the project, received bids of $93,650 for the Riveriew portion of the road work, $183,525 for what is needed at Bob Bangert and $94,310 for work to be done at Parker Heights.

“These roads have not been resurfaced since the mid-1990s,” Higley said.

In other action:

A bid of $19,500 from Waterkotte Construction of Quincy was approved for work to be done at Westview Golf Course, specifically the replacement of porch decking.

“Staff has removed the existing porch and footings in preparation for a new ADA concrete porch with a covered pergola,” said Rome Frericks, executive director of the Park District. “The scope of work includes partial removal and disposal of the existing asphalt, compacted aggregate clean rock base, powered troweled concrete with light broom finish and an ADA ramp.”

Completion is expected by June 1. Seven bids were received for the project.

A new $18,000 playground system was approved for Emerson Park, which will be installed by All Inclusive Rec of St. Louis. Park District officials said $25,000 was budgeted for the project, with the remaining funds to be used for installation, safety surface and edging. There were three bids for the project.

A $19,845 bid from Diamond Construction was approved for the road tar and chip replacement project at East Gardner Park. Higley said $20,000 had been budgeted for the resurfacing. The East Gardner roadway has not been resurfaced since the early 2000s, according to Park District officials.

Mike Mahair was appointed to the Quincy Riverfront Development Corporation. Board member Jeff Steinkamp is also a member of the corporation.

Early meetings have started regarding a new irrigation system at Westview Golf Course. Broad outlines and early cost estimates are being gathered for a project that Frericks estimates will take up to five years and cost between $2.5 million and $3 million.

Fourteen single-use restrooms across the district have been changed to unisex restrooms. “We want to make sure everyone is welcome in our parks,” said Marcelo Beroiza, director of marketing/operations.

Director of Program Services Mike Bruns said 910 youngsters have signed up for spring soccer, breaking the old record of 676. Bruns said the district’s 86 teams still need 10 coaches. Bruns also said more than 1,000 are expected to sign up for the baseball and softball programs. Two more smaller soccer fields will be added at Boots Bush Park to handle the demand for fields, bringing the amount of fields at the site to six.

“We’ll be spreading out game times to better serve park needs,” Bruns said.

All city parks are scheduled to open April 1.