Mayor Frank Picozzi kept a close eye on the audience when the city opened the two bids on the naming rights for the planned outdoor skating rink at what has become know as Warwick Plaza on the site of the City Hall Annex behind City Hall last Wednesday.

“He doesn’t have a poker face,” Picozzi said of Greenwood Credit Union president and CEO Frederick Reinhardt. The first of the bids opened was that of Dave’s Fresh Marketplace. It was $260,000 for a five-year contract that includes a package of benefits from free skating tickets to hosting community events. In soliciting bids the city purchasing sent specifications to more than 20 corporations. Picozzi was delighted with Dave’s and Greenwood. They are both locally owned and the mayor was hopeful of a local partnership.

Both bids exceeded the $250,000 minimum set by the city. Proceeds from the naming will help offset operating costs of the rink, which Picozzi projected would be breakeven.

Reinhardt’s smile betrayed that Greenwood’s bid was higher and that the credit union would likely win the award. The City Council approved the bid this Monday. The Historic District Commission also gave the project the go ahead Monday night but only after some anxious moments when the mayor sought to trim projected cost.

As for last week’s bid opening, it looked like Greenwood might not be selected. As purchasing agent Frances Gomez explained when the packet was opened, the bid sheet wasn’t visible. It appeared it had been omitted by mistake. As the Dave’s bid had already been opened at the designated time, Greenwood would have to stick with what it presented. There was no going back to retrieve missing paperwork.

With a little searching Greenwood’s bid of $300,000 surfaced. Reinhardt’s dream had come true and so had the mayor’s.

At a press announcement Monday morning facing the leveled site for the rink, Picozzi said he could think of no better partner than Greenwood, citing the credit union’s widespread support of sports leagues, non-profits and community events. He also spoke of the plaza development and what it will mean for Apponaug.

“This area has been down and out for years,” he said. The rink and the $8 million plaza development to be paid with a $5 million Congressional ear mark grant and $3 million in federal ARPA funds, he sees as helping Warwick economically as it brings in people to participate in a range of activities year round.  He said the covered rink won’t be used for hockey and to meet the demand for public skating that can’t be met at the Thayer and Warburton rinks at the Mickey Stevens Sports Complex. Suggested non skating uses of the rink during the summer months include concerts, pickleball, festivals, roller skating, a farmers’ market and community events.

But while that paints a pretty picture, already the numbers aren’t adding up. Architectural cost projections put the project as first envisioned at $8.6 million. When the Historic District Commission look at the plans earlier last month, they found the project failed to meet several of the standards set by ordinance. Nathan Socha, project manager at BETA Group Inc. an architect Glen Fontecchio went to work to bring the project in compliance. They returned Monday with a set of revised drawings showing roof lines and other details in keeping with the code. The issue: the changes are projected to bump cost by another $190,000.

Picozzi suggested the commission approve the original design, saying he hoped to bring costs in line by having the city do aspects of the project including paving.

Board member George Shuster pointed out that the commission has held Apponaug homeowners and businesses to the standards. He also observed until the project is bid there’s no known cost. Picozzi, Socha and Fontecchio left the room to confer and on their return, the commission unanimously approved the improved plan.

Picozzi said Monday that plaza specifications would be finalized shortly and that the package would be going out to bid in December. Following an award, he projected it would take a year and a half to build the project.

Gesturing to the nearby Apponaug ballfields Thomas Ahern, chair of the GCU board, recalled how he played on a team sponsored by People’s Moving and Storage 62 years ago. His point was that local businesses play a key role in building community and that GCU recognizes that.

“We have an obligation to give back to the community that has given so much to Greenwood Credit Union,” he said.

City Council President Steve McAllister observed he’s a GCU member. He called the GCU and the rink “a perfect fit…this is going to be the center of Warwick, a destination.”