New London — The city is poised to hire a company to oversee the planning and construction of a community recreation center at Fort Trumbull, a sign of progress toward the city's goal of starting construction by May.

The city, which received six bids for the work, on December 13 recommended Downes Construction Company for the position of construction manager at a cost of $1,556,485. The recommendation came from work by an evaluation committee that ranked the submissions. Brailsford & Dunlavey, which also was involved in the evaluation process, was hired by the city to oversee the entire project.

The $1.5 million price tag would be paid for from the $30 million in bonding approved by the City Council in February. The council will vote on the recommendation at its regular meeting Monday.

Downes has a portfolio of renovation and construction projects in Connecticut ranging from schools and municipal buildings to museums and police stations. Downes partnered with another construction company to form Newfield + Downes for work on the $108 million New London High School construction project. That project is ongoing.

Felix Reyes, director of the city's Office of Development and Planning, said the selection of a construction manager will be a "huge step" toward the city's goal of starting construction by May.

"Getting them on board early is critical," he said.

If approved, Downes would work with project architect Silver Petrucelli & Associates to firm up the design of the building and oversee all phases of the project, from costs estimations to soliciting bids from contractors. Reyes said the city will be better off to know as early as possible what the market looks like and how supply chain issues and inflation might impact the total cost of the project.

Downes was chosen based on a four-step process and scoring system. An evaluation committee composed of city officials and community center task force members scored technical proposals, interviews, fee proposals and overall strengths and value. The evaluation committee included Reyes, New London Assistant Director of Recreation Sharon Bousquet and task force members Adacil Dominguez and Ricky Free.

Downes did not submit the lowest fee for services but had the highest overall score and was determined to be the “best value selection.” Downes bested Newfield Construction by three points in the final tally but Newfield had a lower overall cost at $1.222 million.

The initial design of the community center is a two-story, 62,000-square-foot building to be constructed on a vacant nearly 7-acre site at Fort Trumbull. It is part of the area where land was taken by eminent domain and cleared for development. Fort Trumbull was at the center of the 2005 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London, which upheld the city’s use of eminent domain for economic development that benefits the community. A development, however, has yet to materialize on the Fort Trumbull peninsula.

Though the City Council had approved bonding $30 million for the project, a final cost has yet to be determined.

It’s been a longtime goal of the city to situate a community center in the city. The need became greater after the city sold the aging Richard R. Martin Center in 2020. The building was deteriorating due to lack of maintenance but had served as the location for a variety of recreational programs and services.

The preliminary design of the new community center calls for a two-court gymnasium, 6- or 8-lane swimming pool, lounge, workout area, games rooms, multipurpose rooms and Recreation Department offices. Plans for the outside of the community center, including amenities such as outdoor turf fields, basketball courts and playgrounds, are expected to be outside the $30 million price tag but possible if the city decides to approach the project in phases.

The community center will offer memberships on a sliding scale to accommodate low-income residents. Initial estimates put the operational costs of the facility at more than $2 million per year and funded through membership fees and rental income.

g.smith@theday.com