Building Panel Picks Construction Firms For 5/6 School

By Steve Bigham

The Public Building & Site Committee Monday voted to recommend that the Haynes Construction Company of Seymour be hired as contractor for the proposed grades 5/6 school.

Haynes was the lowest of nine bidders, coming in last week at a price of $22,123,000, nearly $4 million less than was expected. The total cost to build the 186,000 square feet school now appears to be $28.6 million, nearly $5 million below projections. The State of Connecticut is on line to reimburse the town for 34 percent of that cost.

Workers are slated to break ground on the 5/6 school (assuming it gains approval at a June 6 town meeting) sometime this summer. The school would be located along Wasserman Way at the site of what is now Watertown Hall, a dormitory building on the Fairfield Hills campus.

And this week, the Public Building Committee also recommended the hiring of Niram, Inc., of New Jersey to perform the asbestos removal at Watertown Hall, which is slated for demolition. Niram’s bid of $187,000 was lowest among 11 bidders.

Industrial Wrecking of Bridgeport, which was also recommended for hire this week, will do the demolition of the massive Watertown Hall building. Industrial Wrecking’s bid of $77,175 was lowest among 10 prospective contractors. It came in $187,000 below town estimates.

“We’re just scratching our heads as to why they came in so low. All we can think is that maybe they are salvaging the brick,” explained David Valerie of Strategic Building Solutions, LLC, which was hired by the town last year to help facilitate the construction project.

Mr Valerie was also charged with checking the references of the low bidders and found mixed reviews for Haynes Construction, which has headed several large projects throughout the state. Most of the problems, however, were typical construction problems that were usually addressed by owner Paul Haynes.

And, as Mr Valerie explained, Haynes has taken on much larger projects in recent years and many of the problems may have simply been growing pains. The company received good reviews for its work on the recently completed Kensington Green assisted living facility in Southbury, as well as a police station and community center it is currently building in Farmington.

There were concerns over the job Haynes is doing at the Manchester Community College, but the problems were not major, according to Mr Valerie, and the job is coming along well.

“Overall, it was not a shiny report, but it was pretty good,” Mr Valerie said. “We would have to prove that Haynes was unqualified and we simply can’t do that.”

The architectural firm of Jeter, Cook & Jepson, which designed the proposed 5/6 school, has reportedly had good dealings with Haynes, which is known for “getting out of the chute early” by doing its own concrete, masonry, and carpentry.

Strategic Building Solutions will also serve as clerk-of-the-works on the project, which, according to Mr Valerie, will make a big difference in assuring quality.

“We’ll be the squeaky wheel,” he said.

Industrial Wrecking’s bid for demolition actually came in $3,175 higher than Acadia Services, LLC. However, Acadia failed to provide its qualifications, references, and other required information, disqualifying it from consideration.

Industrial Wrecking is highly regarded, according to its references, which include the City of New Haven, which uses its services often. One reference described how the company successfully removed a balcony out of an auditorium while the school was still in session. The work was done during the evening hours.

As for Niram, Inc., its bid of $187,000 was the lowest on a list that included one bid of $485,985 from Excavation Technologies, Inc. Members of the Public Building & Site Committee were concerned about the huge spread in prices. However, Niram, Inc., comes highly regarded and is used often by the state’s Department of Public Works.

 The remaining costs for the construction and opening of 5/6 school are furniture, fixtures, and equipment ($1.9 million), fees and expenses ($2.8 million), and contingency ($1.5 million). These are included in the final requested price of $28.6 million.

The Board of Education was expected to meet Wednesday to discuss and act on the recommendations of the Public Building & Site Committee (see related story).