Recreation board backs Life Fitness, will send equipment recommendation to city commission

The City of West Miami Recreation Advisory Board voted to send a staff recommendation to the City Commission to purchase gym strength-training equipment from Life Fitness, with staff asking for commission authority for a not-to-exceed amount of $150,000 to cover equipment, accessories and services.

Jenny, a staff member presenting procurement comparisons, showed three vendor packages and told the board the recommended vendor, Life Fitness, offered layout assistance, sturdier equipment and a service package staff judged likely to yield better long-term reliability than lower bids. "Sometimes we go for the lowest bidder in procurement, but this is such an important project that we don't want to just go for the low," Jenny said, asking the board to forward the recommendation to the commission.

The board packet compared the strength-training packages: Fit Showroom (brands Hoist and Hudson) at $94,864 (strength package) and $122,008 total with accessories/services; Lift Factor at $61,007.25 (strength) and about $92,002.98 total; and Life Fitness at $76,319.10 (strength) and about $140,626 total. Jenny said Life Fitness' proposal includes layout assistance and that the vendor had indicated flexibility on substitutions so the chosen pieces would fit the space without exceeding the requested $150,000 cap.

Board members asked about warranty, stock availability and maintenance. Jenny said the vendor shared a 10-year warranty on major parts and that some pieces might ship later but the vendor expected to be able to deliver a majority of the equipment in a timely fashion. The board discussed cardio equipment separately and agreed that leasing or separate procurement for cardio machines would be addressed later.

The board voted to approve sending the Life Fitness recommendation to the City Commission; a motion was made, seconded and passed with all members saying "aye." No individual roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript. Staff said it would reach out to the vendor the following day to schedule a site layout meeting and that commission approval would be required before placing orders; staff estimated equipment lead time could be two to two-and-a-half months once ordered.

The Recreation Advisory Board noted this recommendation is a step toward a planned September opening of the new facility; final purchase and installation timing will depend on Commission approval and vendor scheduling.