Anchorage Assembly to weigh $587,000 contract for Creekside Park paths and playground

The Anchorage Assembly will consider a $587,452.71 contract with HPM, Inc. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, to rebuild the paved pathways and improve the playground at Creekside Park in Northeast Anchorage. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's administration recommends approval. The award sits on the consent agenda, where routine items such as bid awards are not required to go to a public hearing.

The 8-acre park sits at East 6th Avenue and Oklahoma Street, next to Creekside Elementary School. It was developed in 1981 with a playground, baseball field, tennis courts and a parking lot. Because it was acquired with Land and Water Conservation Fund money, it must stay open to public outdoor recreation in perpetuity.

Crews would tear out deteriorated pavement and the unsuitable ground beneath it, place new fill, regrade the site and resurface the paths. The Parks and Recreation project page also lists the Safe Route to School pathway along Patterson Street between 10th and 6th avenues, plus playground equipment and surfacing meant to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The city opened six bids on Aug. 27, and HPM's was lowest. The engineer's estimate was $554,065, about $33,000 below the winning bid.

Parks Director Shanna Gamble recommended the award on Sept. 8. The department also asks for authority to approve up to $146,863.18 in change orders, which are changes to the contract after it is signed.

The department lists $800,000 for the project: a $500,000 grant the Alaska Legislature approved in 2024 and $300,000 in municipal bond funds.

HPM would have 60 days after the city tells it to proceed to substantially finish the work. The city expects work to start in 2026 and end in summer 2027.

Residents may send the Assembly written comments through its public testimony page by 5 pm Thursday, Oct. 29.