Council approves annex RFPs as state grant covers most construction; officials flag roughly $300,000 gap

The Coventry Town Council on Nov. 12 approved a block of resolutions to issue contracts and begin construction for a planned annex/community center after the town received a state grant for construction.

Manager Perlow told the council the state awarded $4,304,000 toward the project, whose total estimated cost is $4,595,000. Perlow said staff anticipate one or two other funded projects in the state program could drop out, freeing up funds that could be reallocated, but identified $200,000 in other town offers and roughly $95,000 in impact fees as contingencies to cover an expected shortfall of about $300,000 if necessary.

“All of these RFPs... will help Kevin start, hopefully, construction in mid‑December,” the manager said, noting the town also received $90,000 in programming funds intended to hire a coordinator for annex programming (education, health monitoring, workforce development).

Council members confirmed that selected RFPs and ensuing contracts will be funded largely by the state grant and that some project components could be deferred if the town decides not to use identified contingency funds.

Next steps: staff will finalize contracts and begin demolition and construction work; the council will finalize any budget adjustments if awarded state funds shift or if the town elects to use identified contingency sources.