The City of North Royalton continues its execution of their Memorial Park Master Plan, which, hopefully will make a real splash with kids this summer. This project is one of several that is taking place at Memorial Park this year.
The North Royalton City Council unanimously adopted legislation that accepts the bid of Cook Paving and Construction Company to handle the splash pad project, which includes a shade structure. The splash pad will be located between the playground, restrooms and pavilion, adjacent to tennis courts.
The project includes the base project, such as excavation, clearing, storm line, electrical, fencing, soil and some landscaping. Bidders were then asked for an alternate of the two possible providers of the splash pad equipment and installation, Vortex or Water Odyssey, although no actual list of the equipment that would make up the splash pad was included. Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz said that the design will be done after the bid is accepted. “Once we get approval, then we will do design,” he said. Also included in the bid package, was the installation of eighteen two-inch shade trees and the color sealcoat.
The City advertised for bids for the project, and had three companies placing their bids: Cook Paving and Construction Company, Incorporated, Daniel A. Terreri & Sons, Incorporated, F. Buddie Contracting, Ltd. Cook Paving won the contract, at a total of $910,016.70. Their bid broke down as follows: Base bid, $397,316.70; Water Odyssey Splash Pad Equipment and Installation, $483,000; 18, two-inch caliper shade trees, $9,900 and color sealcoat, $19,800. Terreri came in at $993,277.15 and F. Buddie came in at $1,075,273.00. All bids include a 10% contingency.
The Engineer’s opinion of probable cost of the project was $800,000. When asked about the high bid prices and if supply chain issues came into play, the Mayor responded by saying that prices are sometimes changing day-by-day. With the splash pads, “it’s basically two companies, it’s not like there were ten” that were bidding
North Royalton Finance Director, Jenny Esarey, said that the City is utilizing funding for the splash pad project that was made available when the City received $1.5 million from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021). She said that since the City was able to “prove lost revenue, we were able to show it and those revenues could be used for the police and fire services. We were then able to use that money to offset police wages, which then enabled us to offset that money into the general fund.”
The splash pad/shade structure project will be added to some of the projects that have already begun at Memorial Park. Antoskiewicz said that work on the bridge to the small island is taking place and the upper pavilion has been demolished, with a new concrete pad poured. The City will be constructing the new pavilion with grills and waste containers, according to Antoskiewicz.
Antoskiewicz hopes to have the project complete in enough time to open by early July. When asked what time frame will the splash pad run, he responded that it would “probably be weather dependent.” He hopes to possibly also start the walkway. “Maybe this fall,” he said.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer