The Albany City Council on Monday will get its final say about the design of Kinder Park. The park is bordered by Oak Street, the Periwinkle Bike Path and the Church of Christ. The council meets at

4 p.m. in the municipal court room at City Hall.

Councilors wanted to review the proposed layout before being asked to award a construction bid, said Parks Director Ed Hodney.

"We've sent out 20 sets of general plans for the park to contractors," he said. "We hope to open bids on Oct. 7 and then award the bid at the Oct. 8 council meeting. We'd like to start construction next month."

The council primarily is interested in making sure design standards set in 2001 were followed, Hodney said. Those standards include ample parking so visitors do not have to park on Oak, appropriate landscaping and other amenities to minimize the impact of park activities on the neighbors.

Earlier this summer, the council chose DLA Inc., an architectural landscape firm from Eugene, to design the park rather than open the projects to bids. State law allows for the direct appointment of a consultant under special procurement statutes. Hodney urged the council to pick DLA because the firm was familiar with the project, having worked on the park's preliminary planning with K&D Engineering of Albany to plan and design the park site.

The council has budgeted $850,000 to build the park on the site that previously belonged to the Boys & Girls Club of Albany. The club and the city entered into an agreement last year that conveyed the property to the city with the two sharing operation and maintenance responsibilities.

The 11.97-acre park will have a soccer field and two Little League fields, portable restrooms, a concession stand, playground equipment and a picnic area.

System development charge funds, private gifts and a $480,000 grant from the state have provided the money sources building the park.

The name was picked at the request of a major donor. Kinder means children in German.

The park is southwest of the proposed 125,601-square-foot Lowe's Home Improvement Store that would include a 31,544-square-foot garden center. The store is proposed for about 12 acres on the southwest corner of Ninth Avenue and Oak Street.

Hodney said he does not expect the store to have any affect on park use in general.

"We are removed physically from the site, and there are no plans now to share parking," he said.