Public hearing, ice arena project among city council agenda items

A public hearing on the planned Tower Street and 10th Avenue street reconstruction project is part of the agenda for the Worthington City Council meeting scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

The project will result in the closure and removal of a section of roadway, which will be replaced by new parking lots and a concession/restroom building that will complement a new softball field that Worthington Independent School District 518 has planned for the site of the former West Elementary school. A second reading of a proposed ordinance to vacate a segment of Tower Street is also on Monday’s agenda.

Also Monday, council members are slated to consider approval of the city’s Ice Arena Selection Committee’s recommendation for a construction manager at risk. With a construction manager at risk, the construction manager commits to completing the project within a guaranteed maximum price, assuming significant risk and responsibility.

Nine submittals were received. The project selection committee comprised of representatives of the City of Worthington, Worthington Independent School District 518 and the Worthington Hockey Association reviewed, scored and ranked the firms that submitted.

The Ice Arena Selection Committee interviewed the top two ranked firms that submitted Statements of Qualifications on Jan. 12. The committee has forwarded its recommendation that the city council approve directing staff to move forward with discussions with Knutson Construction, LLC and HTG Architects for initial programming, design and project estimates.