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Drum roll, please: Ada County officials select winner of Expo Idaho redesign contest

Sally Krutzig
·3 min read

Three finalist firms competed in a challenge to redesign an Ada County park, and one came out on top. The winning firm will be the county’s top choice to transform Garden City’s Expo Idaho grounds into a year-round center for the community.

Officials have been working on big changes for the eastern portion of the 247-acre property, which will not include the stadium and the Expo itself to the west, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.

The county used a point system to evaluate each contender, while also factoring in who could be good fit on a more personal level. The evaluations were conducted following presentations last week, at which representatives shared concept proposals to the Expo Idaho committee.

The Port proposal included a viewing area from the reimagined grandstand.
The Port proposal included a viewing area from the reimagined grandstand.

“It was not just the design, but the feelings we get about how we would feel working with that group, because it’s a long-term relationship,” Joshua Brown, Ada County project manager, told the commissioners at a Tuesday board meeting.

After all the points were added up, Port, a Philadelphia- and Chicago-based national firm, came out on top with 135.7 points, narrowly beating out Rios with 133.5.

“We actually see this as an opportunity to set a precedent, an opportunity to create public space on the Boise River that is unlike any other public space that exists in the region,” Christopher Marcinkoski, a partner at Port, told the committee last week.

The children’s play area will be “nature-based,” according to Port.
The children’s play area will be “nature-based,” according to Port.

The Port proposal focused on the landscape potential. Commissioner Kendra Kenyon also liked Port’s emphasis on continued public engagement and its understanding of the important of creating revenue.

“We don’t want it to be a burden on taxpayers,” Kenyon said. “I really appreciated all of (the finalists), but particularly this group had a broader consideration for the long run and the actual cost of operations.”

The commissioners unanimously voted to move forward with fee negotiations to enter into a contract with Port. If those negotiations fail, then the county would move on to the second choice.

Port suggested that an ice rink be set up at Expo Idaho in the winter.
Port suggested that an ice rink be set up at Expo Idaho in the winter.

What was in the winning proposal?

The commissioners stressed that the proposal submitted by Port is not the final design. It will be a starting point that could change a lot during “months of fine-tuning,” and there will be opportunities for the public to weigh in, according to Brown.

This shows Port’s plan for the north side of the site to be redesigned.
This shows Port’s plan for the north side of the site to be redesigned.

Port’s design was focused around a 25-acre area called The Heart of the Park, which would include a stage, athletic courts, a running track, a renovated grand stand, concessions, a seasonal ice skating loop, a children’s play areas, an exploration center, a skate park and a paved loop for walkers and bikers.

The renovated grand stand could contain an exhibition space and commercial enterprises like retail stores, equipment rentals, restaurants and a fitness area.

This shows Port’s plan for the south side of the site to be redesigned.
This shows Port’s plan for the south side of the site to be redesigned.

A second area, called the Lowlands, would span the eight ecological environments running from the center of the park to the river, to support a lowlands area.

Over time, that area could be transformed through soil restoration and new plantings. Marcinkoski proposed that the county should take a stewardship mindset toward that area and see it as a a long-term investment in improving biodiversity, the Statesman previously reported.

“We’ve worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, we’ve worked with permitting agencies, we know how long it takes to modify a river,” Christopher Marcinkoski, a partner at Port, said at last week’s presentation. “We aren’t going to do that in four years. It’s impossible, so we don’t even want to try.”
“We’ve worked with the Army Corps of Engineers, we’ve worked with permitting agencies, we know how long it takes to modify a river,” Christopher Marcinkoski, a partner at Port, said at last week’s presentation. “We aren’t going to do that in four years. It’s impossible, so we don’t even want to try.”