Date: Fri 17-May-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Hawley-project-rebid-council

Full Text:

Hawley Project Will Be Rebid

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

The Board of Education has voted to reject all of the bids for the Hawley

School expansion and rebid the project.

Board of Education Chairman Herb Rosenthal told the Legislative Council

Wednesday night that the school board met earlier in the evening and, acting

on the recommendation of the architect and the Public Building & Site

Commission, voted to reject the bids and try to get lower proposals when it is

rebid in about two weeks.

"The architect's original estimate was $3.3 million for construction but the

low bid was $3.7 million," said Frank Krasnickas, the commission chairman.

"The contracts state if the bid comes in at 10 percent over estimate, one of

the options is to rebid. We would have liked to stay within the original

budget."

Architect Rusty Malik of Kaestle Boos said there will be some changes to the

specifications of the project to reduce the cost. He suggested using epoxy

paint on the interior walls of the addition rather than the more costly glazed

block of the existing building, an estimated savings of $30,000 to $40,000;

changing the lighting and possibly using concrete block instead of bituminous

block in the construction.

Mr Rosenthal said that if the project is rejected by the voters when it goes

to a town meeting next month "there is no fall-back position." The board would

have to come back with another plan sometime in the future, he said.

Superintendent of Schools John Reed said some redistricting would have to be

done in two or three years and the school board would have to consider using

the Sandy Hook Firehouse if the Hawley project doesn't win voter approval.

Architect Fees Over-Budget

Council Vice Chairman Melissa Pilchard questioned the $252,000 in architects'

fees. "These are far in excess of the dollars allocated," she said.

Mr Rosenthal said the town appropriated $100,000 last year, another $60,000 to

$65,000 would come from the Hawley Trust Fund, and the rest will be paid after

the project is approved by the voters. If it is defeated, the money will have

to come from the Board of Education budget, he said.

The total cost of the Hawley project, based on the original bids, would be

$4,183,000; the high school project bids came in at $24,922,000, about $1.3

million less than originally anticipated. But after the proposed

municipal/school budget was defeated by 85 votes in last month's referendum,

the council told the school board to cut $350,000 from debt service, the

equivalent of $3.5 million the school projects.

Town Finance Director Benjamin Spragg said he was directed by the council to

make debt projections for the projects based on two scenarios. The first would

require a reduction in the cost of the high school project to keep the tax

rate for the debt service payments level during the next two years. To keep

the net tax rate impact at 1.15 mills in 1997 and 1997, $1,622,000 would have

to be cut from the high school project.

To fund both projects at their current anticipated cost, debt service would

increase by .23 mills in 1998 to a total of 1.38 mills. This .23 mill increase

would cost the owner of a house assessed at $150,000 an additional $34.50 that

year in property taxes.

The council's finance committee was scheduled to meet Thursday evening, May

16, to make a recommendation on which route should be taken. The council is

scheduled to vote next Thursday, May 23, on whether to send the projects to a

town meeting.

Complex Bidding Process

Mrs Pilchard asked the school board chairman "if the high school project is

$24.9 million and the council approves only $23.3 million, what will you do?"

Mr Rosenthal said he did not know where the school board could cut $1.6

million because of the complicated bidding process for the high school. There

were 17 bid packages, he said, and some low bidders wouldn't be low bids if

the alternates are removed. Some parts of the projects are eligible for 40

percent reimbursement from the state, he said, so cuts could impact revenue

estimates.

Dr Reed said he ranked the proposed high school alternates, in ascending order

of importance, as the gym, the sports field, the locker rooms, the shop areas,

and computer technology. "But if we don't proceed with the locker room

renovations now, we will have to do it in two or three years anyway and as a

separate project the cost probably would be $100,000 to $150,000 higher," he

said.

Mr Rosenthal objected, saying the school board has made no decision yet on

which projects would be a priority and which, if any, could be cut.

Reese Hoben, from the construction management firm O&G, said that until the 17

contracts are signed there are still "some risks" involving the low bidders.

He said that in one case a contractor who made the low bid was $500,000 below

the next bidder and may claim to have made a mistake. Bid bonds do not cover

mistakes, he said, so the additional money might have to come from contingency

if the bid is renegotiated or the next lowest bid accepted instead.

"That's the first time I've heard of contingency to be used to negotiate a

contract," said Council member Joseph Borst.

Council member Win Ballard said the contingency also has to cover change

orders and emergencies which might arise when contractors begin to tear out

walls to do the renovations.

Mr Rosenthal said the school board originally asked for $500,000 for

contingency but has upped the amount to $1 million based on a recommendation

by the architect and the Public Building & Site Commission.

"Even if one contract moved $500,000, we could still do the high school

project at $24.9 million with the $1 million contingency," Mr Hoben said.

Council Chairman Joseph Mahoney expressed concern at whether the Hawley School

project will be adequate to meet increasing elementary school enrollment

throughout Newtown. "I don't want to be sitting here 18 months from now and be

told we have to build a new elementary school," he said.

Dr Reed said the study done by a consultant for the school board projected

2,402 elementary students districtwide in the next 10 years. The district has

2,009 students currently.

Enrollments fluctuate, he said, adding that if in 10, 8 or 6 years if we don't

fit at the elementary level, we won't fit at the middle school, in which case

we may need a new school to house just fifth and sixth grades.

The council has scheduled a special meeting for 8 pm Thursday, May 23, in the

auditorium of the Newtown Middle School to discuss and take action on the two

school projects.