Contract approved for Alice Park fitness and accessibility improvements funded by local nonprofits

Bel Air commissioners on April 6 approved a contract with GameTime (Cunningham Recreation) to install fitness stations, poured‑in‑place safety surfacing and additional park improvements at Alisand/Alice Park.

Staff described the previously planned improvements — an expanded basketball court, an automated external defibrillator (AED), ADA‑accessible ramp and sidewalk along Wilson Street, removal of invasive vegetation and installation of screening plants — and said a public‑art sculpture is proposed by the Cultural Arts Commission. The contract award on the fitness‑and‑surfacing portion was listed at $117,891.95.

Town staff and the project presenter said the project will be funded by three nonprofit partners — the Dresser Foundation, the Greater Bel Air Community Foundation and the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Hospital — and that the town’s share for this contract item is zero because the nonprofits will reimburse the town. The procurement used a cooperative (Omnia) contract allowing piggyback purchase terms.

Commissioners thanked the donors and approved the contract by unanimous vote. Staff noted routine procurement and payment timing considerations, including a cash‑with‑order discount in the vendor quote that the town generally avoids because it prefers to pay upon substantial completion to mitigate risk.