The Board of Selectmen granted unanimous approval to several big expenditures on Tuesday, Jan. 20, including funds for the replacement of the Honey Hill Bridge and the Cannon Rd. Bridge, both of which will be covered by state grants.
The BOS also sanctioned a Request for Proposals for construction services related to a painting project at Middlebrook School.
McNamee Construction Corp., based in Lincolndale, N.Y., was the low bidder for the Honey Hill Bridge project, which will include relocating the water main line for Aquarion. Aquarion will pay the town a $249,950 reimbursement for the relocation work, which the town will initially fund.
“It needs to be one vendor,” Department of Public Works Director Frank Smeriglio told the BOS, in order to satisfy the state grant that is covering 100% of the $5.8-million project, along with more than $1 million in incidentals. Construction inspection, material testing, design and oversight services are included in those incidentals.
The BOS approval was also given subject to the town counsel’s approval of the contract.
The total value of the grant is $6,880,408, with the town’s only financial contribution being $116,400 in masonry work that will be done on the bridge.
“We have a bridge account for a town match for these bridges,” Smeriglio said. “I think right now there’s about $2 million where the funds are coming for this.”
Similarly, the state provided a total grant of $7,122,418 for the Cannon Rd. Bridge, including $6 million for construction and contingencies, along with $1.1 million for incidentals.
This project will be done by Dayton Construction Company, Inc. of Watertown.
“We don’t plan on starting until the beginning of April,” Smeriglio said.
The Board of Education prepared the painting agreement for the work at Middlebrook, which will cost $50,000.
“These funds will come out of Capital Operating that we have for the Board of Ed,” Smeriglio said, noting he believed that there was approximately $85,000 in unencumbered funds in the current fiscal year.
He said the work will encompass 17 classrooms and three different hallways in the school in two different wings of the building.
“As we get into the spring more, we’re going to prepare an agreement for a contract with the flooring for these same rooms,” Smeriglio said, “and then in summer we’ll end up doing the ceiling and the lights.”
The work will be completed by a company called Inside Job.