STARKVILLE — Aldermen approved hiring a pair of consultants as the city begins its plans for its new sports complex at Cornerstone Park and improvements at its current parks.
The proposal, which passed by a 4-2 vote, came during the city’s regular board meeting Tuesday.
The city agreed to consulting agreements with David D’Aquilla of DD Consulting LLC of Long Beach, and John McDonald of Prism Sports and Entertainment LLC, based in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to provide consultation on the initial design phase of the project and, perhaps, the subsequent stages of the project through its estimated two-year construction.
The agreement includes a cost limit of $10,000 for each consultant, with the option of extending the agreement upon board of aldermen approval.
“This is all uncharted for us,” Mayor Lynn Spruill said in presenting the proposal to the aldermen. “Hopefully, we can use their expertise to see how we may possible tweak the master plan we currently have. We get only one shot at making this right. We don’t want to stumble with mistakes that could have been avoided.”
Spruill noted the two consultants come to the project from different backgrounds. D’Aquilla has overseen public parks projects while McDonald has spent much of his career in developing for-profit, privately owned facilities.
“I think they both bring something special to the table,” said Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk. “The benefit to us is to get as much input as possible and from as many views as possible.”
Ward 2 Alderman Ben Carver asked why the city’s engineering firm and its parks director (Gerry Logan) could not be allowed to provide the information the consultants have agreed to provide.
“Gerry is covered up running his department,” Spruill said. “He will definitely be involved in this, as well as our engineer. This provides more information. We expect (the consultants) to work together with our people on this. It’s just a way to bring more information to the table.”
Caver, along with Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, who ultimately moved to approve the contract, expressed concerns about the added consulting fees.
“Every dollar we spend on consultants takes a dollar away from another part of the project,” Carver said. “On the flip side, planning is the most crucial step in this.”
Walker’s motion included the cost limit provision.
“I can understand money spent up front to make sure we don’t make a major misstep,” he said. “But we want to make sure the money would be well-spent. I would agree to this with a not-to-exceed amount that could be re-evaluated later to see if we feel like it’s a good use of our money.”
Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins and Ward 7’s Henry Vaughn opposed the measure.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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