Date: Fri 21-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Booth-Library-O&G

Full Text:

New Contractor Expected To Take Two Weeks To Complete Library Work

BY STEVE BIGHAM

O&G Industries seems to have cornered the market on municipal construction

projects in Newtown.

The Torrington construction company was first hired to run the $30-million

project at Newtown High School. Then, it was brought on to manage the Hawley

School job. Now, O&G has taken over the blue prints at the library addition

and renovation project.

The construction management firm was on the Main Street site earlier this

week, taking over for the departed Building Technologies, Inc, of Prospect,

which was fired by the Board of Selectmen last week. About two weeks worth of

work remain.

"O&G is now on board. We're looking at a two-week window starting tomorrow

[Thursday]," First Selectman Bob Cascella stated Wednesday night.

Of course, that is two weeks worth of working days, and next weekend is a long

holiday. That means the library should be able to receive its certificate of

occupancy (CO) by mid-December. However, town officials warn residents not to

hold their breath. The well-publicized construction project was originally

scheduled to be completed in June. Since missing that deadline, it has gone on

to miss about a half dozen more.

Carpenters and painters were expected to converge on the Main Street site late

this week to begin the task of wrapping up the job. There is very little left

to do, according to Public Building & Site Committee Chairman Frank

Krasnickas. In fact, there has not been much to do since late September.

However, hardly any contractors showed up on the job over the past three

months, forcing the town to fire BTI November 10.

Mechanical and electrical workers were also expected to arrive on the scene

this week to balance the library's heating system. Temperatures have been

fluctuating throughout the building in recent weeks, going up as high as 104

degrees and a low as the mid 40s.

Trying to expedite the completion of the project, Mr Cascella acted swiftly to

bring on O&G last week, waiving the town's purchasing regulations, which state

that a bidding process must take place before a contractor can be hired.

Bypassing bids, according to state statutes, can only be done in an emergency

situation.

The Legislative Council was slated to discuss whether the town's eagerness to

get the library open was an emergency or not. However, the issue never came up

Wednesday. The library's board of trustees, library attorney Paul Pollock and

the town's attorney, David Grogins, all agreed earlier that the current

situation was indeed an emergency.

Also, it was decided that because no money was being appropriated, the

decision to hire O&G rests with the town's purchasing authority -- Mr Cascella

and Finance Director Ben Spragg.

The bottom line, Mr Cascella said, is that the town just wants to get the

library open.

The first selectman said more than $200,000 still remains in the project's

budget, including contingency funds. This money will be used to pay O&G.