Sports park goes to bid
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

After seven years of planning, Village at the Park will finally go out to bid today.

The Pleasant Valley Recreation and Park District board of directors approved the plans for the 55acre sports park- the largest project in the district's 46-year history- and directed staff to begin the bid process during a special meeting Wednesday at the Community Center Park.

The bid opening is a milestone many board members have been anticipating for a long time.

"This is years of planning and hope and obviously some setbacks, and that is quite something, really," board member Paul Rockenstein said. "It's a big deal for the park district."

The park's landscaping, engineering and architectural plans are detailed in the 190-page report, which doesn't include another 250 pages of bid documents and construction specifications.

Upon completion, the sports park will have three adult softball fields, room for 12 to 20 youth soccer fields, ball field lighting, parking lots, a walking path, playground equipment, picnic tables and three buildings. The buildings will feature restrooms, snack bars, storage rooms, a classroom and a park maintenance office.

Village at the Park is located south of the 101 Freeway between the Lewis Road and Pleasant Valley Road exits.

A mandatory pre-bid, on-site inspection for all potential bidders is Wed., May 14. Bidding is expected to close in 30 days, on Mon., June 2. The lowest responsible bidder will be awarded the contract to build the park a week later, on June 9, by a vote from the board. At a brief mobilization period, the winning bidder will have 180 days to complete the project. General Manager Dan LaBrado expects construction to begin the week of June 15 to 21.

"With the current construction environment, I think we'll get quite a few bids," LaBrado said. "We're anxious to see what we can do in the bidding market."

The Camarillo Planning Commission momentarily held up the project in the beginning of April by complaining about the flat roofs, though it had ample time to tell the park district to alter the plans. Board member Elaine Magner said she was "very discouraged" by the planning commission's delay in approving the redesign of the roof, but that "we're moving forward with it. I think everybody wants to get on with this."

LaBrado said a redesign of the roof will be processed during the bidding process as an addendum.

Everyone at the park district is excited about completing Village at the Park, said officials.

"I think this does so much for the community," Magner said. "It's a big step forward for us as a district and a nice addition for the city of Camarillo."