Keene EDC board awards pickleball-court lighting contract to Duggar Electric

The Keene Economic Development Corporation Type B board voted unanimously to award the contract to Duggar Electric to install lights at the city's pickleball courts.

City staff told the board that three contractors were contacted and two bids were returned; one contractor declined to bid. Staff said Duggar Electric provided more detailed pricing options on the submitted documents, while the other bidder submitted some details only by email and not on the bid sheet. Board members noted a sizeable spread between the two proposals.

Board members and staff discussed differences in proposed materials and pole styles; Duggar's package included multiple quote options and used wooden poles for one option, while the other supplier's paperwork lacked detail on materials in the packet displayed to the board. Staff said they had checked Better Business Bureau listings and online reviews and found Duggar Electric to have stronger customer feedback.

A board member moved to accept Duggar Electric's proposal; another member seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Staff said the lights project will proceed and that irrigation and drainage concerns will be communicated to the appropriate staff (the board noted they had not informed the public-works contact about irrigation earlier).

No dollar amounts were read into the public record during the vote and the board did not identify a final contract price at the meeting.

The board also confirmed that fence work and a marquee project are in progress under separate procurements and that the light installation will be coordinated with those ongoing site improvements.

The board did not identify a timeline for completion during the meeting.