Two smaller projects "might not be such a big bite for some of the local contractors," Graham said.
Supervisors also moved Tuesday to eliminate the concession stand element from the plans and instead will look at enlarging the pavilion.
Grant money from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has been designated for the municipality's use for the community park. Even though supervisors removed the concession stand from the plan, Graham said it does not mean the grant money of up to $225,000 will be diminished.
Graham said the grant allows for the enhancement of plan elements which were originally submitted with the grant application. Even though grant money will no longer be put toward building a concession stand, making the pavilion larger will allow the township to use grant money for the enhancement of the facility, he said.
Lynda Beckwith, project coordinator for Antrim Township's DCNR grant project, said she spoke with the township's DCNR project adviser on Wednesday regarding the elimination of the concession stand, which is referred to as a comfort facility in the grant language.
Beckwith said the change in the plans remains acceptable to DCNR because it does not change the "natural design" elements required of a comfort facility that includes drinking fountains, benches and handicapped-accessible pathways linking the different elements.
"The DCNR is interested in having a complete and usable facility at the park," she said.
A greater concern is that the project needs to be completed to meet "timeline constraints," Beckwith said. The project must be completed and ready for use in 2011.
The pavilion will be redesigned to make it larger. The redesigned plan must then be resubmitted to the DCNR for approval before the project can be put out for bid, Beckwith said.
Graham said realistically the supervisors will not have a chance to look at the bids until, at the earliest, their first meeting in August.
Materials for the construction of the pavilion will be purchased through COSTARS, which is state contract pricing.
