The Selectboard approved a $1.07 million contract for the long-anticipated recreation project.
May 26, 2026
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MOUNT DESERT—After an extended bidding process, work on the town’s ice skating rink is expected to begin in September 2026.
The rink is at the town’s tennis courts in Northeast Harbor. In May 2025, voters in the town approved reconstruction of the tennis courts and adding a chiller feature, which helps keep the ice perfect rather than slushy or melting or nonexistent.
Originally, they’d hoped for construction to begin this spring.
“We are confident we can move forward from here,” Town Manager Alex Kimball told the Selectboard.
Last week, the town contracted Holyoke Construction Inc. ($1,073,869.97) for renovations of the Northeast Harbor tennis courts and installation of a chilled skating rink.
“This first came up for bidding back in the winter,” Kimball said.
The town had previously rejected the initial single bid it had received. Then the town did another round of bidding. There were no bids in that round.
G.F. Johnston then solicited quotes and received one from Holyoke, Kimball explained.
“It will require a great deal of coordination regarding timing and other vendors,” Kimball said of the project. “It will be occurring right down in the marina in kind of a tricky spot.”
“The bid was coached,” said a man in the audience who didn’t identify himself.
Aaron Gardner from Gardner Concrete attended and didn’t understand why another bid within $5k of his initial bid was approved.
“I attended the meeting where Brian (Henkel) stated that my bid was rejected because of price and it didn’t provide a good sense of the market. So, could you share with me why a bid within $5,000 of my bid and a single bid is now more in line with your sense of the market and your budget?” Gardner asked.
“Your bid was also incomplete. This one was complete,” Kimball said.
Gardner said he’d filled the bid document the same way he’d previously filled out awarded bids in the past with the town. He said there was no space for the bid in the document to list subcontractors, which was included in the Holyoke bid.
Chair John Macauley said that the Selectboard meeting probably wasn’t the right forum for the discussion and it should be for the town’s manager to deal with.
Gardner asked if the Selectboard had received an email from his company.
“This was the one that you sent on Friday where you said a representative of the town of Mount Desert needs to reach out to Aaron Gardner on this and a representative of the town will be expected to give a response explaining this situation in writing to this email address. So, those are some demands you’re making of us. Correct?” Kimball asked.
The other unidentified man speaking from the public said, “I think I believe it’s illegal in the state of Maine to collude.”
“You’ve just accused us of collusion, correct?” Kimball said.
“I didn’t do the thing. I’m trying to explain something to you,” the man said. He then asked if the Selectboard would be voting on the bid.
He was told that they would be.
“You understand that Gardner Concrete will be taking legal action against the Town of Mount Desert,” Gardner said.
“You have stated that,” Kimball replied.
A May 14 memo from Public Works Director Brian Henkel states, “Public Works solicited bids for the reconstruction of the tennis courts at the Northeast Harbor Village Green including the installation of a chilled ice rink (Project). The Town received a single, incomplete bid in the amount of $1,079,047.00. As this bid was incomplete and potentially did not represent market conditions, Public Works recommended rejection of the bid which the Selectboard did on March 2, 2026. Public Works then directed GF Johnston & Associates to work directly with local contractors to develop additional bids for the Project. A full re-solicitation of bids would have created too much of an impact on the timing of the Project.
“Holyoke Construction, Inc. (Holyoke) submitted a bid in the amount of $1,073,869.97, a decrease of $5,177.03. Holyoke can begin construction later this year and we are expecting to be able to keep to the timeline which has the ice rink available for use this coming winter. Public Works recommends that the Selectboard accept the bid from Holyoke Construction, Inc. in the amount of $1,073,869.97 for the tennis court/ice rink project.”
The official minutes from the March 2 meeting where Gardner Concrete’s $1,079,047 bid for the project was rejected say that Henkel proposed rejecting the bid “as a single bid is not a good indication of the value of the services sought. Director Henkel believed the bid and the timeframe in which the work was requested may have deterred some bidders. It could be to the town’s advantage to rebid.”
At that March meeting, the board moved to reject the bid and authorize Henkel to rebid the project.
Ben Moore, a resident, asked why the bid was being rejected and worried that Gardner might not rebid and other potential bidders would know what price the town had rejected.
Also at the March 2 meeting, Katrina Carter asked what if there were not multiple future bids.
Henkel had said that the quality of the bids received would be considered.
The expected end date for the project is June 2027.
The ice rink currently being used was funded completely by donations.
During the Selectboard meeting, the town also approved a bid with Clarke Construction LLC for the removal and installation of sidewalk on South Shore Road at the cost of $63,400.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
To read the Selectboard packet.
Minutes from the March 2 Selectboard meeting.
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