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Council defeats motion to hire Stantec for Gilboa Ave. solar pavilion design
Summary
Keene City Council voted down authorization to hire Stantec Consulting for engineering design of the Gilboa Avenue Solar Pavilion, citing councilor concerns about the firm’s project management and unexpected high bids for related downtown work.
Keene — The Keene City Council on Dec. 8 voted against authorizing the city manager to execute an engineering agreement with Stantec Consulting Services for the Gilboa Avenue Solar Pavilion project, after several councilors raised concerns about Stantec’s ability to manage local projects and recent bid results for downtown infrastructure raised budget concerns.
Councilor Thomas F. Powers, presenting the finance committee’s recommendation, said the design agreement would be for an amount not to exceed $340,000 and that the project funding includes a northern border grant. “This project went out as an RFQ … the second time, got 2 different proposals that came in,” Powers said, describing the procurement history and the need for a qualified engineering team.
Several councilors said they would not support Stantec. “I will vote no on this. I have great concerns … of any project involving the Stantec organization and their ability to manage a project and bidding,” Councilor Mitchell H. Greenwall said. Councilor Filio echoed that position.
City Manager reported that two bids for the downtown infrastructure project arrived the same afternoon at roughly $28 million and $30.8 million — both far above the council-approved $19 million budget — and said staff would pause to review options, including whether to rebid in the spring. “Both bids therefore came in significantly higher than our funding capacity,” the manager said.
After a roll-call vote, the motion authorizing Stantec was defeated; the clerk’s tally was recorded as 6 in favor and 10 opposed. Councilors said they expect further review and additional discussion on the project and associated procurements before next steps are taken.
The defeat stops the city from immediately contracting Stantec for engineering design; staff indicated they will return with additional information and options for council consideration.
What’s next: Council asked staff to pause and analyze the downtown bid submissions and to return with options for the solar pavilion and downtown work at committee meetings in January.
