Hempfield supervisors are revising some of their plans for a proposed municipal complex and park to try to lower the project’s price tag and attract additional bidders for the work.
The board this week approved bids related to site development for the municipal complex and for a multipurpose building but rejected the lone bid for a portion of the park project.
Hempfield bought 43 acres from Excela Health in 2021 and developed plans to build the municipal complex, including Weatherwood Community Park, there for a projected $16 million. The park would be on 14 acres off Weatherwood Lane, near Route 30 and Mt. Pleasant Road.
Only one bidder, Ligonier Construction, submitted a bid for the portion of the park project that was rejected. That portion includes plans for a splash pad, nature play area, park benches, pavilion and paths. The overall bid, including additions beyond the base bid, amounted to more than $5.9 million.
“In 2022, we had budgeted that number at about $4.5 million,” township manager Aaron Siko said. “Obviously, we had expected that price to grow some, but, with that, there were some items in the line items of the bid that we felt were not consistent with what we had expected.”
He expects the revised call for bids to go out in June and a contract to be awarded in August.
“It’s just a typical development bump in the road that puts us behind a couple months, but it’s nothing that’s a major setback in any way,” Supervisors Chairman Doug Weimer said, blaming the higher-than-anticipated bid on inflation.
Weimer added, “Early summer or June probably next year, we’ll be cutting a ribbon on allowing the community to come in and enjoy the park and the kids to enjoy the splash pad. I don’t envision that’s going to change. At this point, it hasn’t affected our timeline much at all.”
A contract for site development work for the Hempfield Municipal Complex was awarded to A. Liberoni Inc. for more than $6.3 million. The work will get the site ready for construction.
The multipurpose building will support the municipal complex and Weatherwood Community Park. Plans call for restrooms, a concession stand, storage space and utility rooms. A contract for the construction was awarded to Graham Construction for nearly $2.5 million.
The township has raised nearly $3 million for the project through state grants and selling property near Hempfield Area High School. The township still is waiting to learn if it has secured additional federal, state and local grants, Weimer said.
The township applied for a $2.6 million grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to support the second phase of the project. Marissa Haynes, the township’s parks and recreation director, said this month the township expects to hear back from DCNR this fall.
Township officials hope to wrap up the project in September 2025.
Julia Maruca is a TribLive reporter covering health and the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She joined the Trib in 2022 after working at the Butler Eagle covering southwestern Butler County. She can be reached at jmaruca@triblive.com.