Council directs staff to pursue local wood shelter, sets $250,000 all‑in guidance for Nelson Stevens stage

The Dayton City Council gave staff direction on April 14 to pursue a locally manufactured wood stage shelter for the Nelson Stevens performance area and to return with refined bids and footing/installation costs.

Staff presented three vendor options ranging from a wood‑framed local product to heavier steel‑centric designs. Council debated whether to include a roughly 10‑foot overhang intended to provide shade on a modest dance floor and weighed the maintenance and aesthetic tradeoffs between wood and steel. Staff noted the largest quoted unit (36×34) with steel framing was roughly $261,000 while a locally supplied wood option (Polygon/WWA) had a structure quote near $116,000; footings, electrical and installation were separate costs.

Council instructed staff to: obtain firm quotes for both (a) the selected wood option with the 10‑ft overhang and (b) a smaller footprint without the overhang; clarify what is and is not included in each supplier quote (notably concrete pylons/footings and electrical); and proceed with procurement planning. For budgeting guidance council set an all‑in target of about $250,000 (structure + installation + footings + electrical) as the top estimate staff should use in preparing a bid package.

Staff emphasized that footings and site work would be quoted separately and can materially affect the all‑in cost; the council asked staff to coordinate engineering and to return with a complete bid package and a recommended vendor selection.