Building a municipal facility or park and recreation site is a complex endeavor. Unlike private enterprise, you have to keep a wide range of variables in mind that make building a new office building or renovating an apartment building seem like a piece of cake.
Fortunately, difficult is far from impossible. If you know how to approach the project, and work with the right people, you can easily be successful in your major construction project. To help you get started, here are 4 keys to success in building municipal facilities or park and recreation sites.
1) Mind the Budget
Naturally, in any type of construction project, budget matters. Not only will you likely have to work with less funding than a private alternative would, but you’ll also have to make sure that everything comes in at or below your estimated budget.
That, in turn, makes thorough planning an absolutely crucial part of the construction process. Each stage should be complete with an estimate of how much it would cost, both in terms of materials and labor. The more thoroughly you plan the project, the more accurate your budget projections can be.
2) Navigate the Bureaucracy
Long-term public employees are familiar with the amount of bureaucracy in any project as significant as building municipal facilities or park and recreation sites. Most likely, you won’t be able to form an isolated project task force to complete the job. Instead, multiple department and decision makers have to be involved in order to be successful and above board.
Navigating the amount of cross-departmental cooperation and paperwork required is difficult, but far from impossible. As with your budget, set the expectations and infrastructure up early in the project so that you can work through the proper channels at all times.
3) Don’t Forget the Long-Term Goals
The goals of new construction in the private sector tend to be simple: improve the space, satisfy your audience, and make more money. In its public counterpart, of course, especially when it comes to parks and recreation sites, the goals are not necessarily the same.
Rather than making money, your focus is on improving the community. It’s a more intangible, long-term aim that cannot be evaluated for success nearly as easily. Still, setting and keeping your long-term goals in mind throughout the construction process can guide the project and make sure it stays on track.
4) Keep Your Constituents in Mind
Finally, and as you probably know, you can never forget about your constituents in any type of public construction project. Their input is an invaluable source of feedback you should take to heart. Don’t necessarily let it drive all decisions, but keep it in mind through the entire project to ensure an outcome that is beneficial to all.
If the goal is to improve the community, the only way you can achieve it is by involving the community. Anything from the nature of the recreational site to the footprint of the municipal facility can be improved with constructive input from local residents.
Working With the Right Partner to Ensure Construction Success
Given the above keys to success, it’s crucial to work with a construction company that has extensive experience and expertise in public projects. Your partner has to know the various challenges and unique situations that working on municipal facilities or park and recreation sites comes with. If they do, they’ll be a valuable source throughout the project who can help you achieve all of the above.
Local expertise, of course, also matters. If your partner is familiar with the area, they’ll be much more likely to improve the project based on their experience. To learn more about our company, and how we can help you in your construction needs, contact us.
