Long-Delayed Arch Grounds Project Won’t Detail All Its Spending
Date Posted: September 6, 2017
Posted In: Projects,
From St. Louis Business Journal: The organizers behind the multi-year project to remake the Arch grounds won’t detail spending on several components not yet completed, including its largest.
The Business Journal requested the data after the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, formerly CityArchRiver, in June announced that the renovations wouldn’t be completed at the end of this year, as scheduled, but rather in summer 2018. The project was originally to be completed in October 2015.
The Gateway Arch Park Foundation provided spending records for eight of 11 components: Park Over the Highway, Kiener Plaza, the South and North Park Grounds, the North Gateway, Luther Ely Smith Square, Central Riverfront and the Ranger Station.
The data provided show that contractors receiving the most work on the projects include KCI Construction ($31.9 million), McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. ($28.5 million), Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates ($14.1 million), Kozeny-Wagner Inc. ($11.2 million), Goodwin Brothers Construction ($9.8 million), Gerstner Electric ($8.7 million), BSI Constructors Inc. ($7.8 million), Oldcastle Lawn & Garden Midwest ($5.5 million) and St. Louis Bridge Co. ($3.9 million). Eighty-nine percent of the work was awarded to St. Louis-area firms, officials said. Records provided to the Business Journal show $166.9 million in spending so far.
But the Gateway Arch Park Foundation said it could not provide spending records for three components, including by far the largest: the visitor center, exhibits, museum and west entrance, budgeted at $176.4 million. Spending data was also not provided for the Old Courthouse, budgeted at $15.3 million, and the repair of the overlook stairs, budgeted at $1.7 million.