Wood River Seeks New Bids For City Center Park

Wood River City Council Meeting

WOOD RIVER – Wood River officials hope to lower the cost to build a new downtown park by extending the bidding timeline for contractors.

Wood River City Council members voted unanimously on Monday, July 20, 2026 to reject all bids submitted for the City Center Park project. They then approved a request to seek new bids for the park’s construction.

City Manager Steve Palen said communication issues, high cost estimates, and a “tight turnaround” timeline for contractors each contributed to the need for new bids. He said contractors will be given another two weeks to prepare and submit their updated bids.

As of July 14, 2026, the city had received a total of five bids for the project, with base estimates ranging from $1.3 million to $1.6 million.

“We’re hoping maybe giving a little extra time will maybe bring those numbers down some,” Palen added.

Palen said no revisions have been made regarding the scope of the project, and confirmed any future plans will face City Council approval.

This comes just over a month after City Council members voted to seek bids for the park’s construction and purchase materials for a future stage and pavilion, with more details available in this story on Riverbender.com.

A full recording of the July 20, 2026 Wood River City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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