Williamsburg officials worry about cost of trail expansion

WILLIAMSBURG — The cost of phase 2 of the Williamsburg trail project is more than city officials expected, and they’re worried that they won’t be able to come up with the funds to finish it.

When the City of Williamsburg applied for a Transportation Alternative Set-Aside grant for the trail, Williamsburg City Manager Aaron Sandersfeld thought the total cost of the project was $750,000, he said during a city council meeting Monday.

Now engineering firm Snyder and Associates, of Cedar Rapids, says the project will cost nearly $930,000.

In October of 2024, the city received $510,382 in regional Transportation Alternative Set-Aside Program funds to expand the trail across Old Man’s Creek to Highland Ridge senior living facility on the north side of town.

At a total cost of $750,000, the city would have to make up a difference of about $240,000, which was achievable, said Sandersfeld.

But with a cost of $930,000, the city has to find an additional $400,000. Sandersfeld said he’s never seen that number before, and he’s disappointed that Snyder and Associates didn’t make clear to the city that the project would cost $930,000.

“I apologize if things weren’t as clear on the part of Snyder,” A.J. Barry, project engineer from Snyder and Associates in Cedar Rapids, said Monday.

“The construction cost estimate didn’t change,” Barry said. It’s still estimated at $638,000. The difference is in the preliminary engineering and the construction engineering.

The city contracted with Snyder for preliminary engineering; no one has been hired yet for the construction engineering, Barry said. “We’re not under contract for the construction piece of it.”

The Iowa Department of Transportation recommends budgeting 8-10% of the project cost for preliminary engineering and 12-15% of the project cost for construction engineering, Barry said.

Total engineering costs on a project could run as high as 25% based on DOT requirements.

Barry gave city council members copies of documents that explain the costs for the project, including a preliminary checklist and a final plan checklist, things the DOT requires to approve the project, Barry said.

Though the preliminary engineering costs are higher than the 8-10% recommended by the DOT, the smaller project “requires all the same things as a $3 million project,” said Barry.

The DOT requires a lot of documentation, said Barry. “The DOT will audit your paperwork.” Some of the documents must be signed by a professional engineer.

Laura Sauser, Iowa County Community Development director and a member of the Williamsburg trail committee, is trying to make up the difference by applying for grants, said Sandersfeld, and the community is giving donations.

“We’re getting some money,” said Sandersfeld, but to get from $750,000 to $930,000 is a big leap.

The city is applying for a State Recreational Trails grant for $220,000, Sauser said Wednesday. Grant writer Donna Brooks was preparing the application.

The city also has the option of applying for the Resource Enhancement and Protection grant, but Sauser said officials haven’t made a final decision on that yet.

“We were awarded the Community Foundations Grant for $20,000 I wrote, which was another boost of encouragement,” Sauser said. “We have also been doing a fundraising campaign with our Fourth of July Firecracker 5k fundraiser. We expect to have around 100 runners.”

City Councilman Tyler Marshall asked if the city could cut the scope of the project to save money, but Sandersfeld said the city is locked in to what it submitted for the TAP grant.

“[It’s] basically an overblown sidewalk up to Highland Ridge,” said Marshall. “Is this something we could break a piece off of this and call it a sidewalk?”

Maybe the city could bid that part of the trail separately as a sidewalk project, Marshall said. “I feel like we’re just killing a fly with a sledgehammer on this.”

Marshall also said the city knows a retired DOT employee who might be able to handle construction engineering on the project for less money. “I think that could be a great option,” said Barry, as long as the city keeps up on the DOT paperwork.

Marshall suggested the city do some value engineering — find less expensive alternatives to parts of the construction — to save money.

The city council passed a resolution Monday approving the application for the SRT grant for the grant cycle ending July 1. Council members Ann Zalenski and Jeff Steinkamp were absent.

The City will pay 100% of project costs up front and at least 25% match for the SRT Program project, the resolution says. The maximum funding request is 75% of the project costs.

Sandersfeld said the trail expansion project will be let in March and construction will be in progress this time next year.