Council approves final-design contracts for Keene Park and Frank Olson aquatics projects

The City Council voted 8-0 to approve final design agreements for two aquatics and recreation projects: Keene Park Aquatics (Stockwell Engineers) and the Frank Olson Park Community Recreation Center and park improvements (Williams Architect), after Councilor Sale pulled the items for questions on procurement and cumulative project cost tracking.

Director Don Kearney explained both consulting teams were selected through a request-for-proposals process that drew seven firms and that a mixed committee of city staff, a council member and Park Board members interviewed finalists. Councilor Sale asked how much had been spent to date and whether councilors’ travel or investigative visits — such as the planned trip to Watertown to review allied facilities — would be counted toward the project budgets; staff said routine travel and training are normally managed in departmental travel budgets and not rolled into a project’s capital budget unless specifically charged as project expenses.

After discussion and a public comment urging robust, equitable design, Councilor Ceilen moved approval of both subitems in one motion; the motion passed 8-0.

Ending: Staff committed to provide updated cumulative expenditures to the council and clarified that capital project accounting will track project-specific charges, with departmental travel typically handled separately unless explicitly charged to a project.