Council considers $227,222 contract to modernize community center elevator; funding partly from state bond

Greenbelt — Council considered a contract authorization to modernize an aging elevator at the community center, a project staff said is critical for accessibility. The city moved, seconded and discussed a Schindler contract for modernization; the transcript includes a $227,222.71 figure discussed in connection with the project and staff said $200,000 of the total would be funded through a state bond appropriation with the remainder coming from the city’s capital budget.

City manager Sam Rong said all three municipal elevators have exceeded useful life and that the community center units had been failing intermittently; the Department of General Services approved the contract and the vendor indicated lead times that put equipment arrival around June with a six‑week work window that could place completion in mid‑August to mid‑September. Staff said they will work to minimize disruption to senior programs and camps by scheduling the work and relocating activities where feasible. A resident asked how the city would provide equivalent access during the outage; staff said the city does not have funds for temporary vertical‑access devices and would move programs to lower floors and provide reasonable accommodations rather than installing temporary lifts.

Why it matters: the elevator serves seniors and residents with mobility needs and prolonged outages limit access to second‑floor programming. The council noted the importance of minimizing impact and requested staff publish a plan for accommodations and scheduling. The motion to authorize the city manager to execute the contract was moved and seconded; the transcript records detailed discussion about timelines, storage needs and contract terms but does not show a final roll‑call vote in the available excerpt.