Town to rebid ice-rink and tennis-court project; construction expected to affect summer parking and access

Officials said the town rejected a sole, incomplete bid for combined ice-rink and tennis-court work and will rebid the package to get better market competition. The board discussed staging, bus-stop relocation and parking arrangements intended to limit disruption to marina operations.

“We rejected the single bid. It was also incomplete,” Brian (Presenter) said, explaining why staff planned to issue a new solicitation. He described a staging plan to place materials and contractor access at the east end of the tennis courts and proposed temporarily moving the Island Explorer bus stop into the loop so trucks could use the bus loop for deliveries without blocking circulation.

Staff warned that construction may run into the summer season and that contracts will include negotiated no-work windows around major holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day. “The key for us, I think, first and foremost, is for marina operations to remain in place,” Brian said, noting the town’s priority is keeping marina functions operating while work proceeds.

To reduce pressure on marina parking, staff proposed assigning a dedicated row of kiosk parking for contractors’ personal vehicles and entering license plates into the parking enforcement system so contractor vehicles would appear as paid. Officials said electrical trenching and transformer work for a rink chiller would be a short-duration, fall-phase activity involving conduit, backfill and repaving.

Board members informally supported the plan and staff said they would continue to refine staging and scheduling with the chosen contractor. No formal contract award was recorded in the transcript excerpt; the board planned to review bids and approve a contractor when the bid process is complete.