West Haven awards about $2.2 million in park construction bids for Poulter Pond and Windsor Park

West Haven has awarded about $2.2 million in construction bids for two park projects since August, according to council minutes: $775,109.04 for improvements to the pond at the Poulter Family Open Space Preserve and $1,446,896.44 for Windsor Park. ^[1][3]

The Windsor Park award is recorded in draft minutes of the Oct. 7 meeting that the council had not yet approved as of Oct. 16. ^[3]

Poulter Pond

On Aug. 19, the council adopted Resolution 32-2026, awarding Schedule A to Marathon Maintenance Inc. for $424,907.35, Schedule B to Strong Excavating & Construction for $235,513.39 and Schedule C to Marathon Maintenance Inc. for $114,688.30. Councilmembers Kim Dixon, Carrie Call and Ryan Swapp voted yes; Councilmembers Nina Morse and Ryan Saunders were excused. ^[1]

The three awards total $775,109.04. The staff memo in the meeting packet put the lowest bids for the three schedules at $775,108, and said benches and a pavilion would be bought under a state contract, outside the bid award. ^[1][2]

At the same meeting, the council voted to table Resolution 31-2026, which would amend the city's memorandum of understanding with Nilson Homes on applying the order of contingency for the Poulter Pond project. ^[1]

Windsor Park funding

The fiscal 2027 budget summary listed $2,224,500 for Windsor Park Phase 2, covering earthwork, irrigation, planting, a trail and disc golf. ^[4]

The August amendment memo said the budget intended $1,724,500 in assigned special-projects money for Windsor Park, and acknowledged that the capital projects spreadsheet had not matched that intent. Elsewhere the memo used $1,724,465 for that amount, and the resolution used $1,724,465. ^[2]

The fiscal 2025 audit lists $1,724,465 the council had assigned for special projects in the capital projects fund at June 30, 2025. ^[5]

The memo described the $2,224,500 as that assigned amount plus a $500,000 RAMP grant, and added a $751,592 Windsor Park line to be used only if bids exceeded the amount already budgeted. ^[2]

At the Aug. 19 meeting, City Manager Shawn Warnke said Windsor Park's initial costs had exceeded what was anticipated in the budget process, and that the city was appropriating about $2.2 million for the full amount to give a large margin of error, according to the minutes. The council adopted the amendment, Resolution 30-2026, 3-0. ^[1]

The Windsor Park award

The draft Oct. 7 minutes record Councilmember Ryan Saunders moving to adopt Resolution 40-2026, awarding the Windsor Park bid to MSCI Builds for $1,446,896.44, with Councilmember Carrie Call seconding. Councilmembers Kim Dixon, Saunders, Nina Morse and Call voted yes. Councilmember Ryan Swapp was excused. ^[3]

The award is a contract authorization. The records reviewed do not show a signed contract, payments or the project's full cost.