Date: Fri 14-Nov-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Booth-Library-emergency

Full Text:

Has The Library Delay Become An Emergency?

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Is the immediate hiring of a general contractor to finish the $4.1-million

addition and renovation to the Cyrenius Booth Library considered an emergency?

The Legislative Council will have to determine that next Wednesday at its

regularly scheduled meeting.

According to the town charter, the town must take bids before it hires a

contractor, except in the case of an emergency. On Monday, the Board of

Selectman voted, 3-0, to terminate Building Technologies, Inc, of Prospect

from its duties on the library project. It also voted to immediately hire a

second contractor -- in a sense, waiving any bidding.

Council chairman Pierre Rochman said that once costs are determined, he

believes the council will agree to suspend the town's purchasing regulations

in the interest of hiring the new company right away.

"There is no definition of `emergency' in the charter. It's a question of what

you view an emergency as," he said.

Councilman Jack Rosenthal doesn't see any emergency at the library. His

definition of an emergency is a risk to people's health and safety. He plans

to ask the first selectman where the risk is.

"I don't know what the emergency is," he said.

First Selectman Bob Cascella said the council certainly has the right to

refuse to fund the new general contractor in the interest of soliciting bids.

However, going through the bidding process could delay the project by three

months.

"This is how you get things done, but if the council thinks otherwise then we

can close the library doors and wait until February," Mr Cascella said.

Mr Rosenthal said a bidding process does not have to take that long to

complete.

Mr Cascella said there is still more than $200,000 in remaining funds,

including contingency, left to finish the job.