The State Bond Commission has approved $6.8 million in financing to acquire and renovate the former Manchester Sam’s Club property for the storage of personal protective equipment and other materials during the coronavirus pandemic.
The bond commission in a special meeting Tuesday voted 8-2 in favor of the purchase of the 138,000-square-foot building and 500 parking spaces at 69 Pavilions Dr. Those in favor of the measure said the state needs additional warehouse space because its New Britain facility is nearly filled with PPE and emergency response materials and equipment.
The two Republicans on the 10-member commission voted against the proposal, questioning the price and whether the state have done its research on other prospective properties.
Josh Geballe, Gov. Ned Lamont’s chief operating officer, said the 13-acre property was the best potential deal by a wide margin.
Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Walmart Inc., began shopping the property, assessed at $8.4 million, earlier this year.
The store marked Connecticut’s first Sam’s Club when it debuted in 1991. But the Manchester and Orange Sam’s Club locations were two of 60-plus members-only stores that were closed nationwide in Jan. 2018.
The Manchester store closure and the subsequent impact to 150 workers was due, in part, to poor financial performance.
