GUILFORD – After more than two years of work and several trips back to the drawing board, the Town of Guilford is one step closer to getting its new highway garage and town hall. Bids for preliminary sitework and general construction of the two buildings were awarded Wednesday night.
“The work has really just begun,” said building committee chairperson Sue McIntyre at the end of the town board meeting where the bids were awarded. “It’s a relief to know that the project is still advancing.”
The fate of the project appeared in jeopardy when it was revealed that the bids, opened on Aug. 5, were higher than the committee and town board had hoped.
“The bids were kind of discouraging,” said town councilman and building committee member Bruce Winsor. “We’re going to have to make some decisions. It doesn’t look like we’ll have enough within the $1.65 million to do this.”
Separate bids had been requested for site construction, general construction, plumbing, HVAC and electrical. Each request included a base bid for a four-bay highway garage plus several alternates. The site construction bid, for example, included alternates for the construction of a retention pond, septic system and sitework and parking for the town hall.
“It’s almost a cafeteria-style bidding,” said Winsor – the advantage being that the town would be able to pick the options that they feel are most important. One alternate, which the board and committee all agreed was non-negotiable, was a fifth bay for the highway garage.
“We’re not happy that we can’t get it all,” said building committee member Francis Hubbard. “But I think we need to do what we can.”
“We’ve got to be creative,” added town councilman Joe Zaczek.
There was much discussion on the use of roughly $318,000 the town has set aside for the project over the last three years. Wording of the bond approved by voters last year, after having rejected it twice, states that the project’s cost could not exceed the $1.65 million bond amount.
There was concern that the issue would need to be put before voters again to approve use of the extra funds, but based on the recommendations of the New York State Comptroller’s Office there seems to be another way. Town accountant Janice Rideout reported that, according to the Comptroller’s office, the town could use the money they’ve set aside to cover “preliminary project costs.” These preliminary expenses would include soft costs such as architectural, engineering, insurance and legal fees.
