The state Department of Labor has signed, but not yet finalized, a lease agreement with the owner of a former Montville supermarket as the host site for a consolidated job center for all of eastern Connecticut.

It will lead to the closing of job centers in Norwich and New London — a move that continues to baffle New London officials, who argue it would disenfranchise a portion of its population and create an obstacle for hundreds of people in in the area, especially those without vehicles.

The American Job Center, host to a variety of job-assistance programs, is presently located at Shaw’s Cove but would move to the former Beit Brothers Supermarket at 601 Route 32, whose owners submitted one of the three bids for the new consolidated center.

Department of Labor Commissioner Scott Jackson, in a letter to New London Mayor Michael Passero announcing the May 1 lease signing, identified cost savings as one of three major factors in the decision. While the state has no obligation to select the lowest bid, Jackson said New London also could not offer enough contiguous space necessary for the center. The third reason Jackson cites is the fact that the DOL and the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, the department's partner at the job centers, collaborated on a public procurement process that follows state regulations and could not be undone.

Passero continues to argue that the makeup of the workforce investment board, which endorsed the decision to locate the site in Montville, is not representative of the population centers that the job centers serve like New London, Groton or Norwich.

New London is a distressed municipality with a poverty-level average household income, is home to numerous social service agencies and has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, Passero said.

“And yet they decide to locate this, not in an urban center like New London, but at a strip mall in the middle of Montville?” Passero said. “How does that make any sense?”

Nancy Steffens, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor, said the lease has not yet been fully executed and still needs the approval of the Attorney General’s Office and the State Properties Review Board.

State Rep. Chris Soto, D-New London, agreed that the new proposed location will be an impediment for those seeking the services.

“This is not just a New London issue,” Soto said. “Groton is also a big player. By moving to Montville, you limit access to both Groton and New London. This is bad public policy.”

Soto said he intended to further scrutinize the projected costs savings, which the DOL estimates will be $79,000 in the first year and more than $110,000 in following years. Soto said he also is looking into how the procurement process was handled.

The DOL has declined to make public the details of the bid proposals until a lease is finalized. The three bids included the Montville location, the Shaw’s Cove location and another at Mariner’s Square in New London. The specifications included access to a bus route, adequate parking and space for additional service agencies.

Passero said the Shaw’s Cove location is adjacent to numerous other service agencies that include New London Adult Education, the Veteran’s Affairs Primary Care Center, the IRS, Social Security and Community Health Center and other medical offices. New London also is home to complimentary services offered by TVCCA, Sound Community Services United Way Food Bank, the Homeless Hospitality Center and Hispanic Alliance.

The idea of a consolidated job center was first proposed in 2015 following an announcement that many job centers were to be shuttered across the state, including offices in Norwich and Willimantic. The Norwich location has remained open as a satellite office and a full job center remains open in Danielson.

John Beauregard, president of the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, said the board’s responsibility covers 1,400 square miles in eastern Connecticut. The committee, he said, objectively reviewed all of the proposed sites that came in and weighed them against the criteria.

He said the state’s estimates on cost savings would be nearly double when factoring in the savings for the workforce investment board.

“I understand the New London mayor’s position fully,” Beauregard said. “I know it’s not easy but we and the Department of Labor have an obligation to serve the entire region.”

In his letter to Passero, Jackson said that as the consolidation process proceeds, “we will also pursue the strategic siting of an affiliate job center somewhere in New London."

Passero also announced Saturday that he, the City Council and state legislators, as well as members of service agencies and community groups, will gather at noon Monday at the Department of Labor office at Shaw's Cove  to oppose the proposed move. For more information, contact city Director of Human Services Jeanne Milstein by calling (860) 965-5314 or emailing jmilstein@ci.new-london.ct.us.

g.smith@theday.com