Council approves $17.7M contract to build first phase of Jolene Unsoeld Community Park

The Olympia City Council has approved a $17.7 million construction contract for the first phase of Jolene Unsoeld Community Park, at Yelm Highway and Wiggins Road in southeast Olympia.

The contract went to Active Construction Inc. Its low bid of $17,757,757 came in about 26 percent under the city staff estimate, The JOLT News reported Oct. 8. Groundbreaking is expected later this year, and construction should take about 18 to 24 months.

The city puts the total project cost at $25.9 million, higher than the contract itself. That total covers a 10 percent construction contingency, engineering and inspection, permitting, playground equipment, and the city's 1 percent arts contribution.

This is the first phase of improvements in the park's master plan, which the council approved in 2022. In January, the council renamed the site, previously called Yelm Highway Community Park, in honor of former Congresswoman Jolene Unsoeld. It was one of three public spaces renamed that month to honor former civic leaders.

Construction documents still call the job the "Yelm Highway Community Park Phase One Construction" project. Melissa McFadden, Planning and Design Manager for Olympia Parks, Arts & Recreation, said staff kept the old name because the project had already gone through design, construction and permitting under it.

The park sits along Yelm Highway, a route many Johnson Point and Hawks Prairie drivers use to reach south Olympia and Tumwater. Watch for construction activity near Wiggins Road once work begins.