The Union City Commission approved a roughly $13.7 million construction contract with Florence-based Mark Spaulding Construction Company on Monday for the construction of the new Union Town Square, which includes a new city building as well as a large park complex.
The project dates back to the summer of 2022, when the city purchased about 22 acres of land on the corner of US-42 and Brilliance Avenue. A long design process, which included multiple rounds of public input, followed, and the contract approval signals the beginning of actually building the square.
Monday’s contract includes a base construction bid of approximately $13 million for the framework of the square, as well as $56,900 for an additional stainless-steel gateway fixture in the park’s splash pad (the fixture will also dispense water).
Three other extras were also presented at Monday’s meeting: extra paving for one of the trailways to make it ADA compliant, extra picnic shelters and gravel space to serve as a maintenance yard.
The remaining extras for the project did not have contracts prepared, but the commissioners were in favor of adding them all. They expressed a worry that implementing the changes at a later date could incur greater cost than if they approved them immediately. The commission will vote on amending the contract to include the extras at a subsequent meeting.
Financing for the project was also discussed, and the commission performed a first reading for the issuance of up to $20 million in general obligation bonds to finance the project. The city passed a payroll tax in 2023 to cover the cost of the debt payments. The commission will cast a final vote on the financing at their meeting on Aug. 4.
You can learn more about the project at cityofunionky.org.