Date: Fri 22-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

library-deadline-Cascella-BTI

Full Text:

Cascella Doubtful About September 1 Library Completion Date

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

The town continues to hold out hope that the long-delayed library project will

be ready by September 1.

But, as the date inches closer, the possibility of the job being done on time

becomes less and less likely.

"Whether or not this job gets done on time is literally up to the BTI," said

First Selectman Bob Cascella on Tuesday. "They need to better coordinate and

adequately man the job and just get the work done."

BTI is Building Technologies, Inc, of Prospect, the project's general

contractor. Since day one, BTI has butted heads with the town over a lack of

progress at the site. The project was supposed to be done by June 1. It was

then pushed back to July, and most recently September 1.

Mr Cascella walked the site last week and was concerned over how much work

still had to be done. In a recent letter to architect King & Tuthill

Architects, the first selectman said he found the site to be "woefully

undermanned."

But the architects say they can not take responsibility for BTI's failure to

complete work. They claim to have received several change orders from BTI with

insufficient time for proper coordination.

Mr Cascella made it clear that the town still expects the job to be done by

the completion date, which was promised by BTI's Keith Crumb at an August 4

meeting of the Board of Selectmen.

In order to be considered complete, the library will have to receive a

certificate of occupancy (CO) from the town's building department.

BTI will not receive another dime until the CO is issued, according to the

first selectman. "That CO is worth a lot of money to him," Mr Cascella said.

In Mr Cascella's letter, he reminded architect Bruce Tutthill that the state

will be shutting off the power at Fairfield Hills sometime this fall, meaning

the town must move its library services out of Shelton House as soon as

possible.

If the job is not done by September 1, the first selectman has asked the

architect to come up with a contingency plan to provide the town with library

services after that date.