Council approves $146,790 in equipment for community center after debate over local bidding

The New London City Council approved purchases and construction adjustments on May 5 related to the new community recreation center, including a $146,790.82 procurement from Power Wellness for program and facility equipment and a $22,863.96 change order for site safety features.

Why it matters: Councilors and public commenters pressed the administration about whether local vendors were given opportunities to bid on community center supplies and equipment, saying local businesses should have a chance to compete on municipal projects.

Equipment purchase: Council approved the purchase of “various equipment and supplies for the community recreation center” from Power Wellness in the amount of $146,790.82. Director Reyes said the items are pre‑opening operational supplies and equipment procured on the city’s behalf by the center operator and that procurement staff verified competitive pricing and followed the city procurement process. Reyes said some items were being purchased from New London vendors and that the procurement officer reviewed line‑by‑line pricing.

Local-business concerns: Mark Christiansen, representing Jan Electronics and a local vendor, told council he had not seen bid documents and questioned whether local firms had the opportunity to supply items such as low‑voltage wiring and small electrical components. “This is supposed to be a community center and the community is supposed to be supported by it,” Christiansen said.

The city’s procurement and economic development staff said they routinely encourage developers and contractors to source locally when feasible and that workshops and vendor outreach are part of the normal process; councilors asked staff to continue and expand those efforts.

Change order and safety items: Council approved change order number 134 with Downs Construction for $22,863.96 to add site safety items including a speed bump and additional pedestrian signage and drop‑off adjustments. Police and project staff described the work as an improvement identified during final project reviews to reduce pedestrian and vehicle conflict near the facility entrance.

Operational vs. construction funding: Several councilors pressed whether janitorial and environmental supplies and certain IT items should be funded from construction savings or operations. City staff said the community center project budget contained pre‑opening funds and that the purchase of initial operating supplies from construction savings was deliberate to lower first‑year operational costs.

Outcome and next steps: The equipment purchase and the change order were approved in council votes; councilors asked staff to document outreach to local vendors and to consider vendor workshops in future projects.

Quotes from the meeting included local business concerns and staff explanation that procurement rules and competitive checks were followed. No bid protests or formal contract irregularities were recorded in the meeting minutes.