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Grant Funding Increase for St. Helens Riverwalk Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2024
St. Helens, Ore. - The City of St. Helens is receiving almost three-quarters-of-a-million-dollar boost in grant funding from the State of Oregon to assist with construction of the St. Helens Riverwalk Project Phase One.
The City of St. Helens was initially awarded $500,000 from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant for the Riverwalk Project Phase One. Due to increased costs, OPRD and the City of St. Helens worked together to increase the funding for the project by $710,823 for a total grant award of just over $1.2 million.
About the St. Helens Riverwalk Project
The St. Helens Riverwalk Project is dedicated to improving and ensuring public access along the Columbia River in the St. Helens Riverfront District. With over a decade of community-supported planning and two years of focused community feedback during the Riverwalk design process, phase one construction broke ground in May 2024.
Phase One will build approximately 300 feet of a riverwalk path along the banks of the Columbia River inside Columbia View Park. This phase will also expand the park’s footprint to the south and connect to the County’s riverfront walkway to the north. Additional project components include associated park pathways, water and storm drain utilities, lighting, retaining walls, railings, furnishings, and signage.
Future phases of the Riverwalk Project include approximately a half-mile of riverwalk trail from Columbia View Park to Plymouth Street and Nob Hill Nature Park. This will include a combination of paved pathways, boardwalks, and overlooks along the banks of the Columbia River. The riverwalk trail will eventually connect to the interior Bluff Trail that is currently under construction as part of the Streets and Utilities Extension Project. Once these two trails are connected, it will create a complete one-mile walking loop.
Riverwalk Project Phase One Scope of Work and Funding
The City began seeking grant funding in early 2020 for Riverwalk Project Phase One. The City’s plan was to fund the Riverwalk Project Phase One using grants and fund the new stage and playground using the City’s Park System Development Charges. A portion of the design and construction would also be funded with a contribution from the City’s Urban Renewal Agency.
Project cost estimates were prepared using a timeline which had design and construction occurring in 2021. The OPRD Land and Water Conservation Fund grant was awarded in 2021, but contracts were delayed until September 2022, in part, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing shortages at the federal level. This contract delay slowed the construction timeline significantly, and two main factors increased project costs during this delay:
- The Covid-19 pandemic had drastic global impacts to the economy that are still happening today, including skyrocketing construction costs, an upheaval of the labor market, and a large spike in interest rates that are the highest seen in decades.
- New legislation which occurred mid-project in late 2021: the Build America, Buy America Act material sourcing compliance. Although the Riverwalk Project grant funding had already been awarded before this legislation was enacted, the Build America, Buy America Act requirements were retroactively applied to the grant funding for the Riverwalk Project.
When Phase One of the Riverwalk Project was ready for construction in September 2023, three bids were received at over $5 million. These bids were $2 million over the estimates of $3 million. With grants and other dedicated funding already secured which were specifically tied to the construction of the Riverwalk Project, the City had to reevaluate the design and remove portions of work outside of the grant funding scope to bring the project within budget. Those outside elements not eligible for grant funding included the new playground and stage.
The City has secured three state grants for the Riverwalk Project Phase One:
- Travel Oregon Competitive Grant for $100,000. This grant must be used to improve accessibility and inclusive tourism for the Riverwalk Project by constructing an accessible pathway access connecting the City docks to the new Riverwalk pathway and the Columbia County Courthouse’s existing riverfront walking path in their lower parking lot.
- Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant for $1,210,823 (originally awarded for $500,000). This grant was awarded for the Riverwalk Project Phase One.
- Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Local Government Grant for $338,500. This grant was awarded for the Riverwalk Project Phase One.
Additional funding for the Riverwalk Project Phase One comes from:
- City Parks System Development Charges (SDCs). $1 million of the City’s Park SDCs were budgeted for this project. These funds are collected during the permit process for new development and can only be used for qualifying park improvement projects.
- St. Helens Urban Renewal. This is property tax revenue collected specifically from property value growth which goes to the Urban Renewal Agency. It is separate funding from property tax revenue that the City receives for its General Fund. Funds within the Urban Renewal Agency can only be used for identified projects within the adopted Urban Renewal Plan which support economic development and growth for St. Helens.
Project Timeline
The revised Riverwalk Project Phase One went out to bid in February 2024. Four bids were received and Advanced Excavating Specialists, LLC (AES) was the lowest bidder at $2,996,000. A contract with AES was approved by the City Council in April 2024 and construction began in May 2024. To date, the contractor has completed two of the four retaining walls for the project and is currently working on stormwater infrastructure and preparing to construct the remaining retaining walls.
Riverwalk Project Phase One is anticipated to be completed by April 2025. For additional information, visit the City’s Riverwalk Project website: https://www.sthelensoregon.gov/waterfront/page/riverwalk-project.
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For further information regarding the grant funding increase for the St. Helens Riverwalk Project, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.
