AVON FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY RENOVATIONS & ADDITION PROJECT
BUILDING COMMITTEE MINUTES
MAY 23, 2012
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM by Chairperson Diane Hornaday in the Avon Free Public Library, Second Floor Conference Room. Members present: Chairperson Diane Hornaday, Scott Boos, Barbara Leonard, and J. Tad Kuziak. Members absent: Diane Carney, Janet Stokesbury and Secretary David Goldsholl. Also in attendance were Town Manager Brandon Robertson, Assistant Town Manager Steve Bartha, Director of Public Works Bruce Williams, Library Director Virginia Vocelli and CES Senior Associate Loren Grabinsky.
II. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING – April 25, 2012
Ms. Hornaday questioned the status of the carpet attic stock in section VI. Mr. Williams explained that we require a certain amount of material to be left to serve as replacement parts when needed, in this instance carpet tiles. Ms. Hornaday requested to get more information from the architect regarding this. Mr. Bartha added that almost $10,000 has been held back in retainage for this item until the matter is resolved. Mr. Boos noted that the carpet tiles didn’t match so stock was pulled from the attic stock and new ones put in. Mr. Boos also asked if the current installed carpet was adequate now. Ms. Vocelli said yes it was okay but added that it was not a good installation job, leaving bubbles in places. Mr. Williams said the carpet left has not been gone through yet for final approval. Mr. Kuziak suggested that
since the carpet is in a public space and subject to more wear and tear that we should have adequate replacement material on hand for repairs/replacements. Mr. Boos asked how often Mr. Williams goes into attic stock. Mr. Williams said not too much and added that carpet fades from the UV rays and would be hard to match anyway when the need arose. Mr. Bartha said the contractors were very difficult to work with and probably should be held to the letter of the contract in terms of deliverables. Ms. Hornaday said residents notice things like this, where the carpet doesn’t match. She also asked if small bubbles in the carpet could be stretched to alleviate them. Mr. Williams said it could and that bumps can arise out of heavy carts going over the surface. He also said we need to get the installers back to address trip hazards.
Ms. Hornaday asked for a motion to accept the minutes. The motion was tabled for the next meeting due to a lack of a quorum.
III. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE
None.
IV. COMMUNICATION FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Ms. Hornaday reported that she was getting tons of positive feedback from the community. Mr. Kuziak and Ms. Leonard concurred. Ms. Hornaday added that many people liked the ceiling rings as well. Mr. Kuziak commented on the greatly improved magazine section.
V. UPDATE AND REPORT FROM a. Architect (including report from CES re electricity)
Ms. Hornaday introduced Mr. Grabinsky saying he was attending the meeting to explain the heating and cooling issue. Mr. Grabinsky began by stating that he was present to explain why the utility bills were more than his firm projected. He said the bottom line was that his engineer had made an error in his calculations, taking only half of the square footage into account when calculating utility costs. Mr. Grabinsky reported that the individual no longer worked for CES. He distributed a report showing revised calculations, which reflected the accurate square footage. He wanted to confirm that the installed geothermal was the right choice for the building and he concluded that the geothermal system was the right one by modeling it against two other possible systems. Mr. Grabinsky continued that the utility costs should run
$77,000 per year, but appeared to be trending higher than that. Mr. Kuziak questioned if the equipment was sized properly for the building. Mr. Grabinsky answered that the design was 100% correct and that we were running in line with the industry standard of $2.00/sf. for utility costs. Mr. Kuziak also questioned the significant fluctuation differential between the original estimate and that of the current one when comparing different systems. Mr. Grabinsky said that part of the problem was that pieces of the load calculations were missing from the original analysis, for instance the exhaust fans and number of plugs. Mr. Boos questioned if the decision to go with geothermal was based on the total life cycle analysis. Mr. Grabinsky said initial cost and maintenance were also included, but that given the variables, the geothermal system cost less up front and would cost less over time. Mr. Williams questioned the kW hour cost. Mr. Grabinsky said the report used .18/kW hour. Mr.
Williams said our current utility rate was .095/kW hour and was locked in for several more years. Mr. Grabinsky said the set points are 70 degrees for heating and 75 degrees for cooling.
Mr. Boos questioned again if we had the correct system in place. Mr. Grabinsky answered yes. Mr. Bartha noted to Mr. Grabinsky that the Town budgeted roughly $47,000 for utilities in FY 13, based on CES’ original projections, which will leave the Town facing an approximate budget gap of $60,000 based on actual utility cost trends. Mr. Grabinsky said that this was unfortunate, but there was nothing he could do about that. Ms. Hornaday asked how long it would take to reach an accurate idea of what the costs would be on an annual basis. Mr. Grabinsky said we should be able to see a change immediately after the construction people were out. Mr. Williams noted that we really hadn’t yet had a harsh winter or extremely hot summer to test the system and feared a $110,000/year range. Mr. Grabinsky offered to come
back and do some free commissioning to make sure the system operated as efficiently. Ms. Hornaday questioned if the best and most efficient system had been installed. Mr. Grabinsky said yes.
Mr. Robertson questioned what was budgeted and what was expected for utility costs. Mr. Bartha said roughly $47,000 was budgeted and that costs were trending towards $100,000. Mr. Williams added that we haven’t seen the summer yet and questioned Ms. Vocelli on the comfort of the building. She said she and the staff were still getting used to it and they were experiencing areas of warmth and mugginess, cool in one space and warm in another. Mr. Grabinsky said the contractors were not going to fix that and that commissioning should help to even that out. Mr. Robertson questioned how we’d know if the system was installed correctly to fit the building and if the one we had is undersized. Mr. Grabinsky said the geothermal system was accurate to the drawings and that it was only the cost analysis, which was prepared
based on an incorrect square footage amount in July 2010. Mr. Kuziak questioned the role of insurance. Mr. Grabinsky said the design was correct and that is what was paid for. He went on to say that problems with the design would precipitate an insurance issue and suggested discussing this with the Town’s counsel.
Ms. Hornaday asked if there were any more questions. Mr. Bartha said he appreciated Mr. Grabinsky’s candor. Mr. Grabinsky offered to start next week, if desired, and have his commissioning team coordinate with Town staff.
Ms. Hornaday was appreciative of Mr. Grabinsky’s visit and explanation and felt confident that we had chosen the best recommended system. Mr. Bartha said the Clean Energy Commission is currently looking town wide at energy use per square foot and that it is possible that the Library will prove to be very efficient on a per square foot basis, despite the flawed utility cost analysis. Ms. Hornaday added that you learn from every project and that we should double check that the correct information is given. Mr. Boos said that it was easy pointing a finger at an employee but that it really was a quality control issue. Mr. Kuziak felt that doubling the size of the building using a better system would less than double the utility costs and asked how could you put in a more efficient system and more than double the costs.
Mr. Boos suggested that a third opinion could help to verify that indeed the geothermal system was the best and most correct choice and if found not to be correct then that’s when you’d have recourse. Mr. Kuziak concurred. Mr. Williams felt the commissioning would be very beneficial in getting the building to be as efficient as possible and then we could look into hiring someone to verify the choice we made. Mr. Williams added that he didn’t see anything obvious in the system that was causing the differential. Mr. Williams said there’d be reports when CES is done with the commissioning.
VI. OLD BUSINESS: a. Project Budget Update, b. Approval of Invoices, c. Review: Fogged Window in Teen Area, d. Review: Grand Opening Program
Mr. Bartha said the budget presented tonight captures all invoices that are currently for approval. The $93,054 balance includes all the change orders: $61,000 for bonding in the fall, FFE & IT that have not been captured yet, the sidewalk, fogged window in the teen area, request for upholstery for chairs and chair rail in book drop and circulation areas, and represents the monies left over in the project. Committee members accepted Mr. Bartha’s report with thanks.
Ms. Hornaday questioned the William B. Meyer, Inc. invoice. Mr. Bartha said it covered the transitional moves and final payment plus the 5% retainage, per contract terms. The Creative Library Concepts invoice covered the final payment of 5% retainage. Mr. Boos questioned the final cleaning invoice and was it prevailing wages. Mr. Williams said no. Ms. Hornaday questioned the second Data Tel invoice for $260.30. Ms. Vocelli said that two phones were inadequate in providing better service and had them changed. Mr. Bartha referred to the final payment of $19,927 for Enterprise as representing several items to be resolved, such as windows, flooring, minor landscaping and painting. Ms. Hornaday questioned if the open amount was sufficient to entice Enterprise to come back. Mr. Bartha said that if Enterprise did not return,
then the Town would use the retainage to complete the work with other vendors. Mr. Boos was confident Enterprise would return.
Mr. Boos noted the pooling water off the edge of the courtyard. Mr. Williams suggested it was due to the sheer sheeting of rainwater off the courtyard. He suggested the sod could be peeled back and stones placed under it in order to create a more stable surface.
VOTE: Mr. Kuziak motioned, Ms. Leonard seconded and all agreed to approve for payment the following invoices: Enterprise Builders requisition #18, dated 5/31/12 for $108,777.00, Pro-Film invoice dated 5/4/12 for $1,145.00, William B. Meyer, Inc. invoice #COM-301-2/1, dated 4/26/12 for $25,698.72, Global Commercial Cleaning, LLC invoice dated 4/22/12 for $2,450.00, John Watts Associates invoice #92058, dated 4/25/12 for $$14,779.33, BCI invoice #31988, dated 4/26/12 for $3,995.00, Creative Library Concepts invoice #3452, dated 4/30/12 for $2,858.50, RIS invoice #4575, dated 5/14/12 for $500.00, Omni Data invoice #7884, dated 4/18/12 for $4,242.58, Data Tel invoices #14423, dated 4/17/12 for $4,970.00 and 14497, dated 5/16/12 for $260.30, and GC Signs invoice #1884, dated 5/18/12 for $1,300.00 for a total of
$170,976.43. None opposed.
Mr. Bartha noted that the fogged window in the young adult’s area had been fogged for some time. A price to have it replaced came in at $1,882.00 which is considered a good price according to Enterprise and DPW. He added that the only issue was that the glazing might not match exactly due to manufacturer’s variation. Ms. Hornaday responded that the difference won’t be nearly as noticeable as the window itself and is pleased to be able to have this done. Mr. Bartha continued that the windows in the children’s area should be delivered and installed by the grand opening.
VOTE: Mr. Kuziak motioned, Ms. Leonard seconded and all agreed to accept Change Order # 136 – Existing Window – Glazing Replacement for $1,882.00. None opposed.
Mr. Bartha referred to the discussion from the last meeting concerning reupholstering 66 chairs for a total of $5,940.00. Ms. Vocelli had hoped to get all the chairs done in order to have a consistent look and felt they were sturdy and worth saving. Ms. Leonard agreed that the chairs were an eyesore. Mr. Kuziak and Ms. Hornaday said that Ms. Carney did not want to do it. Ms. Hornaday said that she was not sure what Ms. Stokesbury preferred to do. Mr. Kuziak noted that purchasing new chairs would be more expensive.
Members and staff discussed the grand opening brochure. Ms. Leonard noted that Ms. Lansing’s last name had changed. Mr. Bartha said Mr. Witkos has confirmed while Mr. LeGeyt and the Governor have sent their regrets. He’s not sure about the Lieutenant Governor yet. Ms. Vocelli said there’d be 100 chairs with food and entertainment spread in different places throughout.
Mr. Bartha referred to page 3 of his background memo showing a number of project related invoices that were not submitted for payment in time to be included on this meeting’s agenda. He recommended authorizing payment of these invoices once submitted and confirmed by the architect and staff. He noted the two TBD items – front sidewalk and chair rail – should come in under the stated amount.
VOTE: Mr. Boos motioned and Ms. Leonard seconded to authorize staff paying the future invoices as they arrive as follows: Enterprise Builders punch list items - $19,927.00, Wiremen 5% retainage - $750.00, Walch & Company blinds and shades - $4,000.00, RIS miscellaneous furniture - $1,200.00, BCI drapes - $2,430.50, sidewalks and chair rail procured by the Town - $13,000.00 for an approximate total of $41,307.50. None opposed.
VOTE: Ms. Leonard motioned, Mr. Boos seconded and all agreed to have all 66 chairs reupholstered for $5,940.00. None opposed.
VII. NEW BUSINESS: a. Review: Project Capstone Memorandum, b. Review: List of Project Contractors
Ms. Vocelli mentioned a gamer’s box will be available for the grand opening.
Ms. Hornaday referred to the capstone memorandum for discussion. She reminded that there was only one current Town Council member left from the time the project first started and felt it important to recap the timeline. Mr. Bartha prepared the memorandum for the members to review and then it will be presented to the Town Council. Ms. Hornaday would also like to show it to the residents at the opening as well. Ms. Leonard would like to include the Friends’ donation along with the Library Board’s. She liked the memo and would like to see a blow up of the timeline for the residents to see. Ms. Hornaday questioned the second bullet on page 2 as needing a comma somewhere. Mr. Boos questioned if we needed to mention the sheathing replacement. Mr. Kuziak said it showed prudent action that took some monies and Mr.
Bartha noted that it went to the Town Council as well. Mr. Kuziak would like to note that the members are volunteers and the efforts they contribute. Ms. Hornaday commented that she liked that many on the contractor’s list were local, something the members had hoped to achieve. Mr. Bartha offered to make the changes and blow up the contractor list and timeline for the grand opening.
Ms. Vocelli mentioned that the plaques are up in the foyer. Ms. Hornaday asked Mr. Bartha to email a reminder to attend the June 7th Town Council meeting at 7:30PM as this is when the members will be acknowledged for all of their hard work. Mr. Bartha can let the members know the agenda positioning when he finds out. The Grand Opening will be held June 10th at 1:00 PM. Mary Suter will be the MC. Mr. Bartha suggested the speakers concentrate on their areas of expertise to prevent overlap.
VIII. CORRESPONDENCE
None.
IX. OTHER BUSINESS
None.
X. ADJOURNMENT
VOTE: Mr. Kuziak motioned, Ms. Leonard seconded and all agreed to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 PM. None opposed.
____________________________________
Susan Gatcomb, Staff Person
____________________________________
David Goldsholl, Secretary
| 
