40% Goal Reached on O’Fallon Park Rec Center

By SYLVESTER BROWN, JR.
Senior Staff Reporter

O’FALLON – On the day set aside to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a historic milestone was reached that will provide more job opportunities for minority workers in St. Louis. After months of negotiations, the ambitious minority participation goal on the $18 million, 79,000-square-foot O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex was officially reached as the final subcontract was signed.

Months earlier, city officials approved the contract submitted by the project’s prime contractor, S.M. Wilson & Co. with the goals of 40 percent MBE and 8 percent WBE participation, representing the highest minority participation goal ever on a city project.
The percentages far exceeded the Mayor’s Executive Order of 25 percent MBE and 5 percent WBE participation on city-related projects. The historic agreement also guarantees that no less than 32 percent of the man hours go to minority workers.

The new O’Fallon Recreation Complex is the largest locally-funded public works project ever built in north St. Louis. Because of its scope, many involved voiced the need to make sure construction had a larger than usual positive impact on the black community.
“Due to the project’s size, location, and significance, the increased participation goals are extremely important to the African American Aldermanic Caucus and to their constituents,” said Richard Bradley, president of the City of St. Louis Board of Public Service, which is over all city construction projects.

Coming to an agreement on increased participation goals took almost a year. And even after the contract with S.M. Wilson was signed, it still took a while for all the contracts with the minority subcontractors to be signed. The City had set a deadline of January 17th (coincidentally, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) to have all contracts finalized or risk having the project shut down.
Marion Hayes, owner of BRK Electric and a subcontractor on the project, is most pleased with stricter requirements that will make sure minority workers are part of the workforce.

“You can have an MBE business with 50 employees and only two black people. That doesn’t do our communities any good. But if the requirement says you have to have minorities on the job, the money is going to get into our communities a lot faster. Now general contractors can’t play games with numbers. They at least have to make the effort to seek MBE and WBE businesses.”

The new O’Fallon Recreation Complex resides in the 21st ward. Antonio French, alderman of the ward, is pleased the job is finally moving forward and even more pleased with its significance.

“Our success with minority participation on this project serves as an example of what can be done on publicly-funded projects throughout the city,” French said.