AVON FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY RENOVATIONS & ADDITION PROJECT
BUILDING COMMITTEE MINUTES
JUNE 15, 2011
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairperson Diane Hornaday in the Avon Room Town Hall Building 1. Members present: Chairperson Diane Hornaday, J. Tad Kuziak, Janet Stokesbury, Barbara Leonard, Scott Boos, Diane Carney and Secretary David Goldsholl. Members absent: none. Also in attendance were Assistant to the Town Manager Steve Bartha, Library Director Virginia Vocelli (arrived later), Architect Peter Wells, Director of Public Works Bruce Williams and Enterprise Builders Project Engineer Wayne Czarnecki.
II. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING – June 1, 2011
VOTE: Mr. Kuziak motioned, Ms. Leonard seconded and all agreed to accept the June 1st minutes as presented. None opposed. Mr. Boos, Ms. Carney and Mr. Goldsholl abstained as they were absent from the meeting.
III. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE
None.
IV. COMMUNICATIONS FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Mr. Bartha discussed a change with the award of the IT contracts. The three lowest paging bid contractors reneged as they assumed that their price was contingent upon award of the other portions of the total IT bid as well. Mr. Bartha emphasized that it was very clear in the bidding process that the portions would be accepted as all or partial, and that the Town had standing to call the bid bond, but that the value of the award was too small for that to be a cost effective option. He looked to the committee to authorize the awarding of the paging portion of the IT package to the next lowest bidder, Data Tell LLC, for $6,091.00 which would put the IT budget figure just over $130,000.00. He feels that overall the budget is still in good shape. Ms. Hornaday requested that the decision be moved to the “old
business” section of the agenda.
Ms. Hornaday reported that the community feedback has been very positive. Residents say the project looks great and she feels that the community is going to be very happy with this project when it is completed.
V. UPDATE AND REPORT FROM a. Construction Manager, b. Architect
Mr. Czarnecki said they are making good progress. The roof is starting to take shape with approximately 50% of the sheathing up on the new part. The exterior wall framing is going in on the first floor, making its way to the second floor. Walls will be sheathed and then they’ll start the brick exterior. Domestic and fire water lines are in. Fire protection rough in is complete in the basement along with mechanical pads poured and mechanical ductwork hung. Prepping the new parking lot will begin as well. Landscaping will be done in the fall. Ms. Stokesbury questioned if time delays have been made up. Mr. Czarnecki said he won’t be able to do this until the building is weather tight at which time he hopes to. Ms. Stokesbury questioned how the closing time needed for the move from the old to the new part will
have to be adjusted to meet the time delays. Mr. Czarnecki said he will coordinate this with Ms. Vocelli when the time arrives.
Mr. Wells told of the meeting he had with Mr. Bartha and the moving company regarding the phasing and what has to happen to do this and feels confident that it’s going along nicely. He told of the ongoing Thursday meetings coordinating the trades to anticipate any problems that could occur. The few issues have been resolved. The northeast storage area in the basement has been moved to underneath the community room because of the location of mechanical equipment and at no extra cost.
Mr. Goldsholl posed earlier to Ms. Vocelli how much notice we’d need to post the library closing. She felt there was enough time to coordinate to give sufficient notice to the staff and the public. Mr. Wells expected the closing time for the phasing move to be three weeks. Mr. Bartha added that closing would affect the furniture and IT people as well and that they would need a 30 day notice. He also added that he didn’t anticipate a sudden closing notice of a day or so. Mr. Williams said that paving the parking lot may close the library for a few days and anticipated it for early July. Ms. Stokesbury conveyed her concern with children going to the library after school in the fall and thinks communications with the schools is important in getting the message of a closing. Ms. Hornaday suggested
coordinating with the schools to get the message of a closing as many people get their information from the schools. She asked Mr. Bartha to coordinate this.
VI. OLD BUSINESS a. Project Budget Update, b. Approval of Invoices, c. Review and Approval of Change Orders, d. Value Engineering Schedule
Ms. Stokesbury questioned why the cost for the temporary air conditioning for the library is put against the Asbestos/Haz. Materials Reports/Insp. line item. Mr. Bartha said he did it to offset a surplus in this item as he did not anticipate any future charges there. He added that he will coordinate with accounting when the time comes to move monies between project line-items to reflect actual expenses.
Mr. Wells discussed the air conditioning problem. He consulted with the HVAC contractor and Mr. Williams to find solutions. He said it would cost between $700 and $800 to bring in temporary air conditioning and would pursue it if the committee agreed. Mr. Kuziak visited the library and agreed the conditions were uncomfortable. Ms. Leonard said that they would close the children’s section because it was too hot there. Mr. Goldsholl questioned if there were any town policies that related to temperature control. Mr. Williams said there wasn’t any that he knew of, and that OSHA only posted minimum temperature requirements. Mr. Bartha said it was an issue that Ms. Vocelli would have to address with her staff, with which Mr. Williams agreed. Mr. Goldsholl offered that they could come to a decision and present it to
the library committee for resolution. He said too that vacation times could be rearranged or partial closings for example. Mr. Bartha suggested continuing the discussion when Ms. Vocelli arrived for the meeting. Mr. Williams added that by the time a lot of equipment was installed, the season would be over.
Mr. Bartha noted that certain spend down requirements needed to be met by certain dates as part of the temporary financing requirements, and that he and the Finance Director would monitor this. Mr. Wells noted that the Building Consultant of the Division of Library Development, May Louise Jensen, would be retiring shortly and that it may put the administrative end of the State in disarray and cautioned to submit documentation as soon as possible. Mr. Bartha said that because of this, he had scheduled a meeting with Ms. Jensen on June 24th to deliver the next batch of grant documents. Ms. Hornaday questioned if the pre-referendum expenses had been returned to the town. Mr. Bartha said yes that they had. Ms. Hornaday asked for approval of the invoices. Mr. Bartha said staff recommended approval of all
of the submitted invoices: Enterprise Builders Requisition #7, dated 5/31/11, for $394,180.00, Tuthill & Wells Invoice 3931, dated 6/6/11 for $14,685.00 reflecting 25% retainage until the FFE2 bid is complete, three receipts from Lowe’s and Home Depot totaling $1,501.80 relating to the purchase of temporary air conditioning, Special Testing Laboratories, Inc. invoice 25736, dated 5/31/11 for $1,288.00 reflecting a negotiated decrease from the original amount of $1,400.00 and Szewczak Associates invoice 15244, dated 5/25/11 for $380.00 totaling $412,034.80.
VOTE: Mr. Goldsholl motioned, Mr. Boos seconded and all agreed to put in for payment the staff recommended invoices for Enterprise Builders, Tuthill & Wells, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Special Testing Laboratories, Inc. and Szewczak Associates as noted. None opposed.
Mr. Williams and Mr. Wells discussed change order numbers 33 and 34. Mr. Wells relayed that the contractor noticed insect penetration in the existing roof fascia. After some discussion, the construction team recommended replacing the entire fascia ($10,440.00). Mr. Wells suggests using cypress as replacement material. He said you need fascia to attach the roof sheathing and this is why he recommends replacing this along with the sheathing as needed. Ms. Hornaday asked if this was a good price for this work. Mr. Williams said the price included staining and installation. Mr. Czarnecki won’t know a number to replace the roof sheathing because the contractor will only do a section at a time so that the roof will always be protected. Mr. Goldsholl relayed from a construction meeting that total roof replacement would run
approximately $50,000 and adding in the fascia replacement for a total of $60,000.00 - $65,000.00. Insulation would probably need to be replaced as well. Ms. Hornaday asked how much we still had in contingency money. Mr. Bartha said we’ve used about $45,000 of the $447,000 thus far. Ms. Hornaday suggested that if we had the money to pay for it then it was best to do it now. Mr. Williams felt it to be a good price even if we had to replace all of it. Ms. Carney agreed that it was wiser to do it now rather than later. Ms. Hornaday asked for a motion.
VOTE: Ms. Carney motioned, Mr. Kuziak seconded and all agreed to approve both change orders 33 and 34. None opposed.
The subject of hands-free flushing toilets will be discussed at a future meeting. Mr. Williams and Mr. Czarnecki said they are still in pricing.
Mr. Wells discussed VE line item 15E (restore snowmelt system - $6,207.00). He said a decision had to be made soon as the concrete footing needed to be poured. Mr. Kuziak questioned if the geothermal system would be adequate to melt the surface. Mr. Goldsholl asked if anyone was familiar with this type of system. Mr. Williams explained that due to the nature of library hours held on weekends and evenings, public works crews would be subject to overtime and availability and that having a continuous snow melt system would be beneficial. He couldn’t attest to the efficacy of the geothermal system but had faith that it would be adequate. Ms. Stokesbury asked if the system would be manually or thermostatically controlled. Mr. Wells suggested that it be either way but could find out.
Ms. Hornaday questioned VE item F (restore concrete walks beyond just front area (delete bituminous) - $11,192.00). Mr. Wells prefers concrete over the bituminous as it wears better but has seen it deteriorate early due to maintenance crews using salt in the winter. Mr. Williams agreed that salt hurt the concrete but that new substances are used that work better. Mr. Wells added that bituminous is easier to fix. Mr. Boos said summer heat creates a pliable surface with the asphalt and feels the concrete is a much better investment. Ms. Carney asked if the $11,192.00 would really just be spent on aesthetics. Mr. Wells offered that if concrete was laid properly then it would last longer and that bituminous may require maintenance every year. Mr. Kuziak described that he noticed the difference in the two materials when riding
a bike around town. The bituminous surface is bumpy and uneven whereby the concrete is smooth. Ms. Hornaday recalled a liability claim arising from the uneven bituminous surface at the high school. Ms. Hornaday asked for a vote.
VOTE: Ms. Leonard motioned, Mr. Goldsholl seconded and all agreed to restore item 15E – restore snowmelt system - $6,207.00 of the value engineering items list to the project. None opposed.
VOTE: Ms. Carney motioned, Ms. Leonard seconded and all agreed to restore item F – restore concrete walks beyond just front area (delete bituminous) - $11,192.00 of the value engineering items list to the project. None opposed.
The two items total $17,399.00. These two are the final items of the VE list.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
Ms. Vocelli discussed the air conditioning for the summer time. She thanked the committee for their approval of the purchase of air conditioners for the library. Two air conditioners upstairs cool four rooms. A third cools the server room. She said many fans are in use as well. Programs and services have had to be adjusted because of the heat. The history room is basically closed with volunteers given the summer off. Ms. Vocelli asked the Library Board to fund two a/c units for the children’s room. The first floor is more difficult to control because of the doors and windows. To aid the staff, the refrigerator is stocked with liquids and frozen pops and frequent breaks are given. Children librarians take some staff to hold programs at the pool or the church across the street. Ms. Stokesbury questioned if the number
of visitors has gone down. Ms. Vocelli said the numbers have gone down about 15%. She hasn’t spoken to neighboring libraries to see if they are absorbing any of the Avon traffic. She added that it has been very hard on the staff but that they are adapting.
Mr. Bartha reminded the members that they needed to add the IT paging bid change to the agenda and to vote on it.
VOTE: Mr. Goldsholl motioned, Mr. Kuziak seconded and all agreed to add the IT paging bid contract award change to the agenda. None opposed.
VOTE: Mr. Kuziak motioned, Mr. Goldsholl seconded and all agreed to authorize the Town Manager to award the paging portion of the IT contract to Data Tel LLC for $6,091.00. None opposed.
Ms. Stokesbury questioned if Data Tel would be willing to lower their price now that they were awarded a larger contract. Mr. Bartha said the question was asked and that maybe a few hundred could be saved, but that they had no incentive to lower it given that they knew they were the lowest remaining bidder.
VIII. OTHER BUSINESS a. Correspondence, i. 6/6/11 Memo to Town Manager
Ms. Hornaday asked for any questions regarding Mr. Bartha’s memo to the Town Manager. Mr. Bartha noted that the memo outlines the building committee’s recommendation to award contracts to the three selected first FFE bidders. Ms. Hornaday reminded the members that a meeting would soon be held to discuss the second part of the FFE bid.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION a. Contract negotiations (update)
X. ADJOURNMENT
VOTE: Ms. Stokesbury motioned, Ms. Leonard seconded and all agreed to adjourn the meeting at 8:40 PM. None opposed.
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Susan Gatcomb, Staff Person
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David Goldsholl, Secretary
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