Gray Construction awarded bid to build Watertown’s new downtown park  (Audio)

December 20, 2021
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–Gray Construction of Watertown will be the primary contractor building a new downtown park along Kemp Avenue.

The Watertown City Council awarded them the nearly $2.6 million contract Monday night.

Much of the debate focused on whether parking should be allowed on roughly 16,000 square feet of artificial turf that will cover a portion of what will be known as the Watertown Area Community Foundation Plaza.

Lyle Pudwill of the Confluence Design Group of Sioux Falls told the council if parking were to be allowed on the synthetic turf, it would require reinforcing panels to be installed underneath the fake grass…..

But Councilman Mike Danforth says allowing vehicles within the park is a bad idea, and he doesn’t want to spend the $105,000 it would take to make that feasible….

Councilman Bruce Buhler sided with Danforth on the idea of keeping vehicles out of the park, and off the synthetic turf….

The council agreed, approving the construction bid without the alternate of allowing parking on the synthetic turf.

Pudwill told the council the, “substantial completion date” of the park will be October 28, 2022.