Explanation
Background: This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Recreation and Parks Department to enter into contract with Implement to provide design services for the Italian Village Park Improvements Project. The contract amount is $76,160.00, with a contingency of $13,440.00, for a total of $89,600.00 being authorized by this ordinance.
Italian Village Park is a small 0.835 acre park surrounded by a tapestry of historic Italianate residences, small businesses, restaurants, and galleries. The Italian Village neighborhood and the multistory mixed-use development help characterize the Short North Arts District. The park was created in the early 1980’s through a forward thinking acquisition of undesirable and underutilized lots just a short distance from High Street, resulting in the preservation of a rare sliver of greenspace in a densely built environment. The park has seen several iterations over the years. The last major redevelopment of the park, in 2009, removed shelters, installed additional picnic seating, expanded the lawn, preserved the playground, and installed irrigation for landscaped beds that were to be maintained by the community.
In 2020, The Italian Village Community authorized the use of the Urban Infrastructure Recovery Fund (UIRF) to design and construct improvements to Italian Village Park. A park conditions assessment found that the park has several declining mature shade trees, fragmented spaces with under-realized programmatic purpose, poor circulation, and under-utilized seating and play equipment. The park is also impacted by debris and litter from adjacent alleys. A public survey conducted by the Recreation and Parks Department identified priorities for the design of the Italian Village Park Improvements. These public priorities included the preservation of greenspace in a dense neighborhood, minimizing illegal activity, and enhancing park safety, especially after dark. Maintaining the appearance and upkeep of the park without ...
Click here for full text