Metro Parks Tacoma issues RFQ for Wapato Lake docks

Metro Parks Tacoma has issued a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for architectural and engineering services related to a project to replace the docks at Wapato Park, according to a legal notice published this month in the Tacoma Daily Index.

Bid documents prepared by Metro Parks Tacoma staff show the overall $826,000 project consists of replacing docks that are “in such disrepair that they no longer can be used, and to design new ones that will bring back public access to the water’s edge.” In addition, design elements could include landscaping, signage, park furniture, pathways, and a fish cleaning station. Construction of the new docks — one located behind the bathhouse, and another located at the south end of the lake — is tentatively scheduled to be completed in November of 2017, according to the bid documents.

Wapato Park, located at 6500 S. Sheridan Ave., was established in the early 1920s as a public park after serving as an informal and private recreation facility beginning in the late 1800s. According to the Wapato Park Master Plan, 88-acre Wapato Park is the third-largest park in Tacoma, and 34-acre Wapato Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Tacoma.

The budget for the professional services related to this capital design effort is estimated at $80,000 to $100,000. The bid deadline expires at 10 a.m. on Thurs., Oct. 29. More information is available online here.