Pioneer Park in Aberdeen to be remodeled

By Matthew N. Wells The Daily World • February 1, 2022 1:30 am
Matthew N. Wells | The Daily World Failor Field, located on the South Lawrence Street side of Pioneer Park in Aberdeen, will soon get new fencing that will be ready by March 31, 2022. A new public restroom, which should be ready by October 2022, will be placed next to Failor Field.
Matthew N. Wells | The Daily World Failor Field, located on the South Lawrence Street side of Pioneer Park in Aberdeen, will soon get new fencing that will be ready by March 31, 2022. A new public restroom, which should be ready by October 2022, will be placed next to Failor Field.

A much-needed remodel is going to take place at Pioneer Park a little more than 18 months after the Aberdeen City Council endorsed a resolution to apply for funding to pay for the project.

On July 29, 2020, Aberdeen City Council adopted Resolution 2020-13, which granted approval to apply for funding for a Youth Athletic Facilities Program grant to remodel the Pioneer Park’s Little League field, at 214 S. Tilden St., in Aberdeen.

The funding, which comes from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO,) will pay for a new restroom and new fencing around Failor Field, which sits along the South Lawrence Street side of the park.

The Aberdeen City Council approved the project unanimously with no discussion during a council meeting on Wednesday night, Jan. 26, via Zoom.

Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Director Stacie Barnum talked about how the new fencing and restroom will help the community.

“The project will provide an American Disabilities Act-accessible restroom for the public, something that has not been there, ever,” she said. “The new fencing will be in compliance with national Little League standards so our local Little League will have the ability to host championship tournaments.”

The new public bathroom comes with a hefty price tag — $226,062 — but the grant includes reimbursement for the new restroom, the Aberdeen City Council agenda states.

Barnum said during the meeting that the restroom’s cost is $5,000 more than what she had budgeted for the project.

“But, when I put the budget together for the full project, I included a contingency amount of about $45,000 for any unanticipated additional costs,” Barnum said during the meeting.

The mentioned cost is the quote for the new restroom building, engineering and installation. Fundraising from a Grays Harbor Community Foundation Grant — $20,000, as well as Aberdeen Little League — $14,000 — also helped, according to Barnum.

“We pay for it, and then once the RCO has verified that the project is complete, that is the restroom has been installed, then they reimburse the city for the expense,” she said.

Barnum said the process to get the grant was competitive. There were 38 applicants from around the state and that Aberdeen beat them all, based on the criteria — need for the project, design and cost estimates, and if the project is sustainable.

“Will it hold up?” Barnum said, explaining what sustainability means. “Let’s say it was damaged, do we have the resources to do the repairs and maintenance?”

She said the application also had to show the extent to which people will get use out of it. In a non-pandemic year, Failor Field seats a couple hundred people, according to Barnum.

CXT Products was the vendor picked for the project. The restroom, which will have bathroom signage indicating “Men” and “Women” will have granite rock walls and a Malibu taupe roof, the agenda shows.

A request for quotes — the city received 200 quotes to contractors — for the fence replacement at Pioneer Park’s Little League field was sent out Friday, Jan. 7. The winning bid and the lowest bid, was $22,688.64 from RC Fence Inc., which is based in Ocean Shores. The quote was about $2,000 less than what Barnum budgeted.

She said she thinks the new restroom and fence will serve the community well.

“I think (people) are going to be thrilled,” Barnum said. “A request the Parks Department received through a number of years is a need for a new restroom. That (restroom) was built in the 1970s. It’s outlived its life. It’s well past its life.”