Public Building Commission
Excerpt from Fiscal Year 2007/2008 Annual Report
During Fiscal Year 2007/2008, the Commission members held meetings focused on finalizing plans and schedules for construction of a replacement for Firehouse #3 on Sullivan Avenue. The building is designed to also include accommodations for the South Windsor Ambulance Corps. Referendum approval for the project occurred in the election of November 2005.
The development of plans and value engineering were both completed some time ago, but approval to proceed with site work and construction could not be secured from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. An endangered species (several Clustered Sedge plants) was found on the site, several vernal pools were identified, and some mitigation of wetlands has been in discussion for more than two years. The Clustered Sedge plants can be transplanted and the vernal pools on the site do not support maturation of wood frog egg masses as the pools dry out quickly. However, suggested solutions to those problems have not met with agreements that translate into permits.
As the fiscal year ended, efforts had begun to consider another site along Sullivan Avenue without the physical problems of the initially-selected site. The delay of several years, while materials and construction costs continue to escalate, has generated discussions with the Town Council about additional monies required to be added to the amount approved in the referendum if the project as designed is to proceed. If another site is purchased, construction is not likely until the 2009 building season.
Commission members also worked with the Board of Education and Superintendent Kozaczka on preparation of costs for a referendum to be submitted to the voters in November. The project is an up-dated plan for construction of two replacement elementary schools and renovation-as-new construction work on two existing elementary schools, a program estimated to cost $97 million was defeated in a 2004 referendum. Because the State of Connecticut had revised rules for bidding and selecting professional help for construction projects since our last schools project, a detailed RFP and selection process was required. Precious time that could have been used for design work needed for providing the Board with comprehensive materials was used instead for the selection of professional
assistance. The firm of Drummey Rosane Anderson Inc. (DRA) of Windsor was selected and given an ambitious time-line to review previous project work, adjust designs for four buildings, and prepare project cost estimates and schedules.
DRA met their deadlines and the PBC delivered a detailed program of work and cost estimates to the BOE in August 2008. With the passage of time, the total cost estimates now approximate $120 million. Plans are for discussion by the BOE with the Town Council and the possible setting of a referendum in November.
Members of the Commission appreciate the cooperation and support of the many people who participate in the work required to bring these projects to regulatory boards and commissions and then to the public for input and approval. Contractors, architects, engineers, inspectors, suppliers, Town employees, Town agency people, and Town Councilors all are part of the efforts that enable the PBC to bring the community economical new facilities and to plan for future ones. Unfortunately, the firehouse project has not had cooperation and support from agencies outside the community.
| 
