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Council acknowledges preferred vendor for Knowlton Park playground, authorizes continued project development
Summary
The City Council acknowledged Game Time as the preferred vendor for a phased Knowlton Park playground replacement and authorized parks staff to continue design, value‑engineering and fundraising work; the action does not commit the city to construction funding or contracts at this time.
The Ellsworth City Council on April 24 acknowledged a preferred vendor to keep a planned Knowlton Park playground project on track while staff and volunteers finish design and fundraising.
Rodney Erlenbach, director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, told the council the original RFP had divided the project into a spring 2026 phase and a full replacement in 2027. He said recent budget constraints led staff to combine the work into a single construction phase targeted for 2027 but that maintaining the identified vendor would preserve continuity and avoid reissuing the RFP. "The playground structures and equipment are incredibly proprietary," Erlenbach said, adding that different manufacturers offer distinct, non‑interchangeable components.
Why it matters: Councilors pressed staff on procurement fairness and the risk of appearing to favor one vendor. Erlenbach said the Recreation Commission had thoroughly evaluated multiple proposals and recommended the vendor based on design, play value and ADA considerations; he emphasized the council would still need to approve any construction funding or contract. A price range discussed in documents and during the meeting put the project roughly in the mid‑hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a frequently cited figure around $450,000; staff said they expect most of the cost to be raised through community fundraising and grants and that any funding gap would return to the council for approval.
Councilor comments ranged from concern about locking in a vendor before final design to support for a path that keeps the project feasible for a 2027 installation. One councilor called the approach "a cart before the horse," while others noted that the vendor's design was the best match for community expectations and that delaying vendor selection could make a 2027 start impossible. Erlenbach said the move "does not commit the council or the city to any financial obligation" but allows staff to continue negotiations, form a community design subcommittee and develop a project budget.
The action: A motion to "acknowledge Game Time as the preferred vendor for the Knowlton Park play upgrade as identified by the Recreation Commission and to authorize the parks and rec department to continue project development, including design, engineering, and budgeting with a future request for council approval for project funding and construction" was moved and seconded; the motion carried.
Next steps: Staff will form the community subcommittee, complete a refined design and return to council this fall with a final project budget and any request for construction authorization.
