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The council decided the matter after receiving two opposing recommendations from the city’s Purchasing Agent Charlene Antonelli and the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Frederickson had the higher bid of paying the city $3,500 for each of the two years, while Alfredo’s Deli owner Alfredo Viscariello bid $3,001 per year.
"Either (bidder) would do a good job for the city," Antonelli told the council. "There is nothing to discredit the person with the higher bid."
While Antonelli recommended Frederickson’s higher bid, the commission unanimously voted last week to stay with Viscariello, who has held the contract for the last four years.
"We were very aware of the bid process," Patricia Fairchild, commission chairman said. "Alfredo’s past service has been excellent and we haven’t had any problems while he has had the contract."
Corporation Council Al Vasko told the council it could vote to approve the lower bid if it believed it was in the best interest of the city.
"You have to look at what is in the best interest of the city," Vasko said. "It is not necessarily the higher bidder."
Frederickson said last week he hopes the estimated $20,000 cleared each year by the concession will help generate some of the about $80,000 it takes each year to field the team.
He did not speak at Monday night’s meeting, but supporters spoke out during the public portion of the meeting.
"The gate receipts don’t come anywhere close to meeting the (team’s) budget," Patrick Power said. "There needs to be a stable source of revenue for the Twisters."
Frederickson estimates crowds of around 1,200 fans attend each of the team’s 22 games at the park each year.
"It gets harder and harder every year to fund the team," Power said. "The Twisters won the bid fair and square."
Councilman Jim McKenna said while he didn’t want to be a "rubber stamp" for recommendations, the bids had to be considered.
"We have a bid process we need to look at," McKenna said. "We have to consider what the bids are."
Viscariello left the meeting immediately after the vote and could not be reached later for comment.
"It is unfortunate someone has to come out on the short end," Frederickson said after the vote. "We (the Twisters) will be here for at least another 10 years."
Charles W. Kim can be reached by e-mail at torrington@registercitizen.com.
