New Police Station Ready for Re-bidding

by Bill Tobin

The Police Station Building Committee is about ready to re-bid the construction of the new police station that was approved by town meeting on November 2006 for budget not to exceed $6.63 million dollars. This was the revised dollar after the town meeting in May 2006 rejected the original request of $7.4 million.

The committee designed a building to meet the present and future needs of the town for at least the next twenty years. These plans were approved and professional cost estimators were engaged to evaluate and provide the committee with reasonable estimates. Several contractors bid on these plans and the bids were opened in September 2007. These bids, reflecting escalating labor and material costs, exceeded the funds available by over $800,000.

Rather than return to the town and request additional funding, the Selectmen directed the building committee to re-examine the existing plans and investigate possible reductions in building size and attributes, without sacrificing functionality.

As as result, the building has been reduced by 2500 square feet, effecting the size of offices, role call and report preparation areas, the elimination of one maintenance bay, and combining Communication and I.T. Technology. These changes were deemed acceptable to the committee.

The cell block area was redesigned to include four cells, with dual usage, rather than six cells. These four cells are eligible for use by male, female, juvenile and handicapped. This provided substantial savings in steel and other materials.

A major saving was realized in redesigning the HVAC systems from four-pipe to a two-pipe system. The four-pipe system allows greater control of internal temperatures in the transitional months in the spring and fall. The four-pipe is commonly found in buildings such as hospitals where temperature control is critical. The two-pipe is the more conventional system used in most office buildings.

This is a brief synopsis of many changes that was the result of extensive re-examination of the project and securing the input from a variety of sources and reviewing local contractors.

Paul Saulnier, P.E.,a Civil Engineer with 30 years experience in government contracting, offered additional suggestions to the committee at a recent meeting. He suggested that a successful award would be more likely by including bid items, which would be added to the base bid. These might include landscaping, pavements, curbing and possibly even interior painting. Furnishings could also be a separate bid item.

The plans have been revised by the architect, for an additional fee, and are now ready to go out to bid.

The Conservation Commission, Board of Health, Historical Commission,the Planning Board and the Selectmen have endorsed the revised plans.

The cost estimator is currently reviewing the plans for the Building Committee.

It is anticipated that the General Contracting bids will be opened by the end of February, and will be on target for the approval of the selectmen early in March.

If all goes according to plan, construction will commence by mid-March, 2008, and the town will soon have a flagship Police Station at 532 Washington Street, to the standard approved at town meeting.