Site work and renovation of a playground / park / athletic field in Delta, Alabama. Completed plans call for the renovation of a playground / park / athletic field.

https://www.al.com/news/2024/08/alabama-is-making-its-state-parks-better-what-is-new-and-what-is-coming.html Construction begins next month on a new hotel at Cheaha State Park, home of the highest point in Alabama, a project that is part of an initiative to modernize recreational opportunities for outdoors lovers across the state. The $25 million hotel will overlook a bluff, one of the majestic views that attract hikers, campers, and sightseers to the park at the southern end of the Appalachian Mountain chain, with a peak elevation of 2,407 feet above sea level. The hotel will be built with large timbers harvested in the state, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship said. "It will have a wood, metal, and glass look and blend very nicely into the mountain," Blankenship said. "I think it's going to be a showplace for Alabama State Parks and for that part of the state." The hotel, which will replace an aging motel, is one of more than two dozen Alabama State Parks projects - from Huntsville and Birmingham to the Gulf - Blankenship described to state lawmakers during a presentation and a budget hearing this week. The projects range widely to include cabins, campgrounds, pavilions, restrooms, swimming pools, trails, bathhouses, beaches and other facilities at most of Alabama's 22 state parks. The total price tag is about $150 million, Blankenship said. The money comes from an $80 million bond issue, an initiative of the Gov. Kay Ivey administration that passed the Legislature and that voters approved in 2022, as well as other funding sources. "We really wanted to make improvements at our parks," Blankenship said. "It had been a long time since many of them had been renovated. A lot of our campgrounds were built when camping was a pop-up camper and a tent. And now we've got these huge motorhomes that have three air conditioners and need a 50-amp service. We weren't able to compete in the market with those. We needed to upgrade." Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham, Alabama's largest at 11,861 acres, received a $13 million upgrade. It is one of the completed projects Blankenship highlighted in his presentation to lawmakers. Blankenship said the entire campground was reworked, with new 50-amp electrical service to the camper sites. There are new primitive camping sites, new bath houses, and new water and sewer service throughout the campground, he said. "It was almost like starting over with what we did up there," Blankenship said. There's a new pavilion with roll-up doors to accommodate indoor and outdoor events. "With the doors rolled down you can have heating and air conditioning in there if it's inclement weather," Blankenship said. "But if it's nice like a lot of times we get in the spring and fall we can roll those doors up and have an open-air pavilion." The completed projects include 20 new cabins on Lake Shelby in Gulf State Park. They replaced cabins built in the 1970s that were destroyed by Hurricane Sally four years ago. The Gulf State Park pier, also damaged by Hurricane Sally, reopened to the public on Monday. A 200-foot section of the 1,540-foot pier was collapsed by the hurricane. The pier has been closed for repairs since November. Projects that are underway include improvements at Lakepoint State Park in Eufaula, Guntersville State Park, and Monte Sana State Park near Huntsville. Meaher State Park at the north end of Mobile Bay is undergoing $7.5 million in improvements, including six new cabins, a large bathhouse, a camp store, and an administrative building. Wind Creek State Park on Lake Martin is receiving an $11.5 million upgrade, including new three-bedroom, three-bath cottages and a campground renovation. At Cheaha, in addition to the new hotel, the campgrounds were upgraded with new pads and bathhouses. The cabins, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, were renovated with new roofs, new interiors, and new electrical wiring. Overall, Blankenship said one of the goals of the improvements is to draw more visitors to Alabama State Parks and help generate revenue that can ensure that the improved facilities are maintained and updated when necessary. "This is going to be really a game changer," Blankenship said. "I don't know that we've ever had $150 million worth of renovations going on at our state parks over multiple decades. To have it all going on at one time is a lot of work for our staff and the contractors. But I'm really excited for people to get out and see the renovated parks and hopefully they'll get even more use than they have been and will make enough money to be self-sustainable moving forward." _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scope of Work: The Projects scope of work consists of New Construction, Selective Demolition & Renovation of existing structures, and Site Work, as described below. New Construction includes a four-story hotel (26,000 SF) and a gatehouse (90 SF). The Hotel will include (32) units, conference room, restrooms, rooftop bar & observation deck, and back-of-house administration/operations facilities (office, laundry, trash, electrical). The building is a hybrid mass timber structure, featuring cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors with concrete topping slabs supported by CLT & wood stud-framed walls, atop a concrete foundation. The building is clad with a combination of EIFS and metal panels and employs a single-ply roofing membrane. The gatehouse structure consists of CLT and wood stud walls with a CLT roof, atop a concrete slab, clad with EIFS and wood siding and a single-ply membrane on the roof. Selective Demolition & Renovation includes a selective demolition of the existing motel, with the remaining renovated into an administrative office facility (2800 SF); the renovation of the existing Vista Event Center into a hotel lobby, restaurant, and lounge (5600 SF); and the conversion of the existing pool area into an outdoor pavilion and event/viewing deck (2600 SF). The pavilion features a pair of CLT roofs supported by CLT walls and glulam columns. Interior scope of work for new construction and renovations typically includes doors & frames, casework, storefront curtain walls/windows, plumbing & plumbing accessories, HVAC, electrical, painting, tile, and carpet. Site Work includes the construction of new roadways (to be integrated into existing park roadway system), parking lots, grading, site utility installation, concrete flatwork, landscaping, and irrigation system. Prequalification: Bidders shall pre-qualify for this project. A cashiers check or bid bond payable to Alabama State Parks in an amount not less than five (5) percent of the amount of the bid, but in no event more than $10,000, must accompany the bidders proposal. Bids submitted prior to the bid opening may be mailed or delivered in person to the office of State Parks at the address stated above. The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive technical errors if, in the Owners judgement, the best interests of the Owner will thereby be promoted. Performance Bond: Performance and Payment Bonds and evidence of insurance required in the bid documents will be required at the signing of the Contract. Laws / Ordinances: The Contractor shall observe and comply with all federal, state, and municipal laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations that would apply to this project. The Department reserves the right to reject any or all bids or to waive any informalities in the bidding. All responses received will be subject to the Alabama Open Records Act, Ala. Code 36-12-40, (1975), as amended, and may be subject to public disclosure upon request.