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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Updated completion dates predicted for Sterling's riverfront redevelopment
Jun. 8—STERLING — Sterling's Riverfront Commission met Wednesday, June 4, to discuss updates for Sterling's $300 million multiphase Riverfront Reimagined project. The riverfront park The multiage, accessible park at the former Northwestern Steel and Wire Mill site represents phase one of the Riverfront Reimagined project. In addition to the park, later phases could include worker apartments, a hotel and events center, and a rooftop bar/restaurant for the four buildings at the Lawrence site. That could be followed by market-rate apartments, a fitness center and yet-to-be-determined uses of the National site. Phase one includes the construction of a restroom facility, installation of playground equipment and a splash pad, new sewer and water laterals, concrete and brick paver pathways, upgraded lighting, electrical and technology improvements, landscaping, and overall site grading. Although the city's yet-to-be-named riverfront park and splash pad were originally projected to be finished toward the end of June, Strand Associates project manager Zach Simpson said the last progress meeting with contractors indicated the project was slightly behind schedule. The delay was mostly due to masonry work, which took longer than expected and required most of the site space. Despite those delays, Simpson said, contractors are continuing to make progress, the park's shelter is starting to take shape, and most of the underground work is finished. Work on the park's splash pad also is advancing. "They have two pours to finish up the pad this week, and they have to install the equipment," Simpson said. "I believe the mason work is done now as well. So now that he's going to be departing, they'll be able to focus on the playground and some of the other site work that's north and east of the building, and that'll start to take shape in the next couple of weeks." The hope is that the site improvements to the park will be finished by early July, followed by the shelter in late August or early September. "If they can get in there in the next week or two, I don't think that's a huge lift for them to install," Simpson said. "The equipment's here in storage. It's just a matter of getting some of the concrete ribbon curbs in and the base down for that stuff, and it should go pretty quick." Phases two and three have been consolidated to include the completion of the amphitheater, an ice skating ribbon and parking lots at an expected cost of $4 million. Barring any unexpected delays, Simpson expects the $655,000 ice ribbon likely will be constructed first this fall. The parking lot will follow in the spring, with the amphitheater construction planned for late spring or possibly into the summer or fall. The Sterling Riverfront Foundation has been seeking investors to help fund the riverfront project. Sterling Alderman Josh Johnson said the Riverfront Foundation has received about $2.8 million in pledged donations, with $1.1 million in donations in the bank. This leaves a $3 million funding gap for phase two. To address the issue, the city and the Riverfront Commission are considering separating the ice ribbon from phase two so that the money they already have could be used for its construction this year to avoid delays. If they choose to pursue this option, it will require the Sterling City Council's approval. Lawrence building improvements Improvements to the Lawrence Bros. building — such as new lighting and window banners — have been on hold while the city awaits bids for the environmental abatement work at the former Lawrence and National companies' sites. The work includes mitigating soil contamination; diminishing asbestos; and removing lead-based paint, contaminated concrete and hazardous materials in preparation for redevelopment. Ron Clewer of developer Gorman & Co. said those bids came back "significantly" higher than expected. "Two reasons for that," Clewer said. "One was the timing of the bids, and right now, there's a great deal of work being done because a lot of schools get done over the summer. So, some bidders didn't bid, and the two that did may have considered their capacity." Clewer said the city, Gorman and the city's qualified environmental consultant, Fehr Graham Engineering & Environmental, advised reissuing those bids after school resumes in August, when companies have fewer projects to choose from and are likely to submit lower bids. "If we use the bids we have, then the money we saved on other work, including the roof on the National, would have to be put toward the environmental work, which basically would have ate up the budget for lighting and banners anyway," Clewer said. "The goal is to get more respondents, lower the bid prices and not have to absorb the overage in the budget." Fehr Graham's Ross Grimes suggested that the environmental work would have better pricing, timing and more vendors bidding if the work was reconfigured into smaller, individual projects.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Developers: Sterling's riverfront playground, splash pad could be finished by end of June
Apr. 6—STERLING — Sterling's Riverfront Commission met on Wednesday to discuss various updates on the progress of the city's $300 million multiphase Riverfront Reimagined project. In addition to the city's new riverfront park, the Riverfront Reimagined plan could include an amphitheater, worker apartments, a hotel and events center, and a rooftop bar/restaurant for the four buildings at the Lawrence site. That could be followed by market-rate apartments, a fitness center and yet-to-be-determined uses of the National Manufacturing site. The riverfront park The yet-to-be-named park at the former Northwestern Steel and Wire Mill site will include a multiage, accessible playground, a splash pad, an ice skating ribbon, a plaza, a park shelter, a stage facility and restrooms. The city awarded a $4.7 million bid to Sjostrom and Sons Inc. of Rockford on Sept. 16 and expects the majority of the work will be finished by June, with a tentative opening the following month. Strand Associates project manager Zach Simpson said the park's first phase of construction has progressed to pouring the footings and foundation for the shelter. He said the project site has been cleared, stripped and mass grading has been completed. "The next task is going to be installation of underground utilities, specifically the services for the building, so water and sewer," Simpson said. "They've been planning to do that each Monday of the last two weeks. It's going to happen any day now, they've just been pressed with the weather." Simpson said he expects the playground and splash pad to be available by late June, and phases two and three have now been consolidated to include completion of the amphitheater, ice skating ribbon and parking lots later this year. "I would anticipate that they would likely start with storm sewer, in late summer, early fall, which wouldn't impact the splash pad area, and then likely working on mass grading in the parking area," Simpson said. "There's a four- or five- month lead time for the refrigeration equipment for the ice ribbon. So that pushes that back to September, October." Hotelier interest Ron Clewer of developer Gorman & Co. said several hoteliers have expressed possible interest in developing hotels at the Lawrence Bros. and National sites, including representatives from Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and two local hoteliers, one of whom wants to put a budget hotel between the existing buildings and the riverfront park. However, Clewer said a few concerns could conflict with that project. "One, the Stanley site remediation is not yet done and signed off on," Clewer said. "Two, they want to put it in the parking lot, which has been capped to secure the environmental conditions there, and that would mean it reopens that parking lot to environmental challenges that they would have to accept. For the time being, that is something that is an interesting concept, but I think it's too early to say we want to commit to doing that." Clewer said the other hotelier owns and operates hotels throughout the region in addition to other real estate besides hotels. He said they envision a Hilton on the Lawrence site because of the "broad rewards program" that Hilton offers. A common request that Clewer has received is investors wanting to get an inside tour of the buildings. To help them get a better picture, he said that a company has been hired to create a "fly-through" video of the building using a drone. The video is still in its draft form and when finished, will feature voiceovers from local officials. River Edge designation Earlier this year, Sterling's lobbyist, Matt Hughes of MRH Solutions, filed two state bills, House Bill 1919 and Senate Bill 1309, as part of his strategy to secure a designation that, if approved, could provide almost $50 million in tax incentives through the riverfront work the city already has started. In February, Hughes told the Sterling City Council that the bills must be out of committee in both the House and Senate by Friday, March 21, and must pass both chambers by Friday, April 11. He said the city of Alton had also been added to the legislation per recommendations from Rep. Maurice West. On April 2, Sterling Mayor Diana Merdian told the Riverfront Reimagined Commission that Sterling's House Bill 1919 had passed out of both subcommittees. "It was a unanimous decision out of the subcommittee, and then the revenue committee, and I believe it's had its second reading," Merdian said. "The plan is that it will be put into the budget package because that is where similar bills like that go. We also have our Senate bill, which is our Plan B, and we're running both of them to make sure that we have as many chances as we can, to make sure we get this designation." Merdian said they are now waiting to see if HB 1919 makes it through negotiations for the state's proposed budget for fiscal 2026. "Those negotiations don't happen out in the open, so that's why we are doing the Senate bill as a back-up plan," Merdian said. "The hope is that in May, we will have the designation and be ready to start the DCEO application. That is, we have to have a map, we have to have a public hearing. We have to have the ordinance, or the information that stays up for so many days, and we have to have everything on the national registry." The River Edge Redevelopment Zone Act is legislation encouraging economic growth through redevelopment and revitalization projects that are typically in areas along waterfronts. RERZ provides tax incentives for investors and municipalities. According to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, once a city is designated, certain areas are allocated as a "River Edge Redevelopment Zone." Investors and businesses that develop in these zones are eligible for several tax incentives, including property tax abatements and sales tax exemptions.
