Design for new Fishers park on hold

Fishers’ grand plan for an 80-acre park at 101st Street and Cyntheanne Road hit a snag this month when the Town Council refused to increase the design consultant’s fees by about $100,000.

Indianapolis-based landscape architecture firm Rundell Ernstberger & Associates requested the additional compensation—to a flat fee of $282,000 from the original range of $180,000-$195,000—as the scope of the project grew larger.

Originally envisioned as a $2.3 million project, the price tag grew along with the town’s wish list for the park. Current plans call for a man-made sledding hill, mountain bike course and zip line, among other destination-worthy amenities.

The town has about $3.5 million budgeted for the project, which was promised when Fishers annexed the Geist area.

Although the funding is available, the council was concerned about changing the terms of the deal with REA—and the scope of the project—after awarding the contract through an open bidding process.

What happens now is unclear, said Town Manager Scott Fadness. Issuing another request for proposals is among the possibilities, he said. Scrapping the project is not.

“We all want to see this come to fruition,” he said.