Rochester Hills approves $2.2M Nowicki Park playground contract with accessibility features

Rochester Hills City Council authorized a contract to build the Nowicki Park play area at its Dec. 15 meeting, approving a purchase and installation agreement with Michigan Playgrounds LLC d/b/a MidStates Recreation.

Parks staff described the playground as about one acre in size, featuring nature‑inspired play elements, three timber towers with wheelchair access between levels, poured‑in‑place rubber surfacing to improve accessibility, a sand pit with local paleontology motifs and a bamboo‑style balance area. "The playground is roughly 1 acre," parks staff said during the presentation, adding that the play elements are designed for ages 2–12 and will meet applicable safety and accessibility standards.

Contract and procurement: Council approved the base contract amount of $2,202,347 with a 10% contingency of $220,234.70, for a total not‑to‑exceed $2,422,581.70. Staff said they used a qualifications‑based selection (SOQ) process to evaluate vendors and selected MidStates Recreation after interviews and negotiations.

Why it matters: City leaders said the park will serve an underparked northwest quadrant of the city, provide inclusive play opportunities and be funded from capital improvement resources. Mayor Barnett and council members praised the design and noted lessons learned from Innovation Hills that influenced maintenance and access decisions.

Vote and next steps: The motion to authorize the contract passed on a voice vote. Staff will proceed with fabrication and scheduling; construction timeline and site logistics will be coordinated with adjacent property owners and utility work as needed.