Danbury Board of Awards approves series of school, park and ARPA-funded contracts

The Danbury Board of Awards voted unanimously Sept. 11 to approve a slate of procurement awards and one contract extension across school and park projects, and to authorize up to $200,000 for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) financial consulting services.

Chipotle, the purchasing agent who opened the meeting, said the board received multiple competitive bids and that review committees recommended awards based on qualifications and cost. The board’s actions included architecture contracts for school elevator and roof work, an on-call architectural award for Danbury High School auditorium seating paid with ARPA funds, playground repairs, park equipment, a stadium lighting design, and an extension of a fire-department wellness contract.

Why it matters: The meeting moved a batch of capital and service purchases into procurement and contracting, including several items the transcript records as ARPA-funded or ARPA-eligible and therefore contingent on review and sign-off by the city’s ARPA consultant, PKF O'Connor Davies. Those contingencies mean final contract execution may depend on the consultant’s approval that federal ARPA requirements were met.

What the board approved (high-level): - Award to Prior Architecture for Haystown Avenue School elevator design, apparent low bid $143,500; committee recommended award based on qualifications and low bid. A motion to award was made and seconded and the vote carried.

- Award to Silver Petrocelli Associates for Ellsworth Avenue School roof replacement, apparent low bid $46,300; committee recommendation and subsequent motion carried.

- On-call architectural award to Fuller D'Angelo (transcript includes variant spellings) for Danbury High School auditorium seating replacement, listed at roughly $98,500 (transcript contains both $98,500 and $98,560). Staff stated the city’s solicitation and contract would satisfy ARPA procurement rules; PKF O'Connor Davies had confirmed the approach in staff remarks.

- Design services for stadium sports-lighting LED upgrades to JJA (JGA in one place) Sports, $43,666; identified as ARPA-funded and requiring consultant approval.

- Construction services for band cages/furniture at Rogers Park (Childscapes) quoted at $106,750; the record shows a second quote slightly higher and that prevailing wages were included. The motion to award to Childscapes was carried contingent on consultant approval and contract execution.

- Playscape equipment repairs at city parks awarded to Childscapes under a sole-source justification: total $26,467.33. Staff said Childscapes is the only authorized Burke representative in New England and standardization supported the sole-source rationale.

- Extension of the injury-prevention and health-and-wellness contract for the fire department with First Response Health and Wellness for $29,700 (one-year extension); funding noted as general budget.

- Purchase of a Kubota utility tractor and attachments through Sibley Equipment for Tyrrell Park, quoted at $76,365.61; the Tyrell Park Authority recommended Kubota based on local service and fleet familiarity. The record also contains a lower John Deere quote ($74,848.79) but the vendor service location and local support were cited as decisive.

- ARPA financial consulting services with PKF O'Connor Davies on an as-needed basis for an estimated $200,000 for FY24-25; the motion to award was approved by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: All motions recorded in the transcript carried. For several items the transcript records roll-call or vocal affirmations including statements by Garrick (recorded as "David Garrick" in roll-call segments), Robin Edwards (assistant corporation counsel), and Tom Hughes (superintendent of construction services). Multiple awards are explicitly noted in the transcript as contingent on the city’s ARPA consultant (PKF O'Connor Davies) reviewing and confirming ARPA procurement compliance before final contract execution.

Names and attribution notes: The purchasing agent opened and ran the meeting and is recorded in the transcript as identifying themself as "Chipotle." The transcript introduces a finance director as "mister Dan Garrick" but roll-call lines later identify a speaker as "David Garrick." The transcript therefore contains an inconsistent first-name rendering for the board’s finance representative; this article refers to that official as "Garrick" or "the finance director" where necessary to avoid assigning a first name that conflicts with the record.

Context and next steps: Several items approved at the meeting are ARPA-funded or ARPA-eligible; the transcript records that final contract awards and purchase orders are contingent on review and sign-off by the city’s ARPA consultant, PKF O'Connor Davies. Procurement staff said they will coordinate contract codes and finalize documents with the finance department prior to execution.

The board adjourned following the approvals.