(KAIR)--Atchison leaders have approved the next step in building a new overlook platform at Guerrier Hill Park.

Public Works and Utilities Director Clinton McNemee told the City Commission at their meeting of March 2 the City previously received a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for a viewing deck at Guerrier Hill through National Park Service funding administered through the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, based on a $160,000 estimate with a 50-50 match, up to $80,000 in grant funding.

McNemee said when the City first advertised the project, the only bid received came back at $246,000, well above the budget, leaving the City to scale the design down to the minimum needed and shifted to a plan that uses a metal fabrication company for the framework and installation, with additional pieces of the work handled separately.

McNemee said the grant-eligible components, metal fabrication and installation, concrete footings, and a concrete parking upgrade, along with the City purchasing composite decking to be installed by City crews, are now expected to total about $110,000.

The platform is expected to be about 20 by 30 feet, located where the former mushroom shelter stood, and designed, McNemee said, to provide a scenic view that includes downtown Atchison, the bridge, and the Missouri-side floodplain. He also said the City plans signage and website updates to reinforce Guerrier Hill’s identity as its own park, and noted the vision is to keep the area more natural, without adding restroom facilities.

Commissioners approved a contract with HME Incorporated of Topeka to fabricate, assemble and install the metal framework, support columns, and guardrails for the Guerrier Hill overlook platform for $72,672, with total authorization of $75,000 to cover minor change orders. The vote was 5-to-0.