The Livermore City Council has switched direction on which contractor to use to develop Livermorium Plaza at Mills Square Park, after the initial firm could not meet the city’s insurance requirements.
The council decided Monday to shift the $3.5 million contract from Integra Construction Services to Robert Bothman Construction Inc., the contractor that recently completed Stockmen’s Park in Livermore’s downtown.
Livermorium is the chemical element co-discovered by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Russian scientists and named after the city in 2012.
The site’s most prominent feature would be a granite water ball, representing the nucleus of the element — officially number 116 on the periodic chart. Livermorium’s 116 electrons would be represented by various hardscape features in the plaza. The ball and some discs representing electrons will be inscribed with Livermorium-related information and other scientific facts.
The plaza will also include shade trees, concrete seat walls, a grassy area, a lighting control system allowing for different color schemes, and in-ground lights surrounding the water feature.
The site required extensive clean-up, as leftover soil was contaminated by its previous occupant, a Chevron service station. The Alameda County Environmental Health Department is requiring Chevron to work with the city to clean up the site.
With the clean-up, the entire project will cost about $4.75 million, according to a city report.