Municipal Renovations Committee
Minutes
Thursday, July 30, 2009
6:30 PM Personnel Conference Room
MRC Members in Attendance: Mayor Bingham, Alan Zordan, Isadore Temkin, Mike Clark, Bill Hill and Ed Cook. Others presents: Stephen Nocera, Mayoral Aide, Jerry Rollett, City of Torrington Public Works Director, Brian Solywoda, Friar Associates and Bob Prentis, O&G
The Meeting was opened at 6:30 PM on a motion from Mayor Bingham seconded by Mr. Hill.
A motion to approve Minutes of the MRC Meeting of June 18, 2009 was made by Mayor Bingham, seconded by Mr. Hill and approved by the Committee.
A motion to approve Minutes of the MRC Meeting of July 02, 2009 was made by Mr. Hill, seconded by Mayor Bingham, and approved by the Committee.
Mr. Prentis presented an overview the status of the renovation project:
Schedule – the project is currently slightly behind schedule due to masonry work starting later than planned. Mr. Prentis stated that the project will “catch up” as work continues to allow project completion to occur as originally scheduled, i.e. May 2010. Mr. Prentis stated that site work at the Traffic Barn site was due to begin during the week of August 10th, with building delivery the 23rd of August and erection of that building within a four week time frame
Problems - No major problems were reported.
Planned changes adding to cost – there are no new changes planned since the last MRC meeting which will effect project costs. Mr. Clark informed Mr. Prentis that the City Building Official had requested a minor adjustment to the location of his office door; that Friar Associates was present during the conversation and paperwork/drawings would be forthcoming within the week.
Planned changes reducing costs – there are no changes planned since the last MRC meeting which will reduce project costs.
Findings by Horizon engineering – nothing to report. Mr. Clark requested that Horizon and O&G involve Public Works Director Jerry Rollett in all future meetings, since he is the owner’s representative regarding all matters of commissioning. Mr. Clark stated that he would remind Horizon of this requirement as well, and also request an update presentation to Mr. Rollett as soon as practicable.
Findings by STL Testing – all concrete samplings to date meet requirements.
Assistance needed from the MRC or Friar Associates – Mr. Prentis requested that Friar get drawings etc. to him ASAP regarding changes to the Building Official’s office door. Mr. Prentis requested that a decision be made as soon as possible regarding the exact area to be paved at the Traffic Barn site. Mr. Clark stated that the information would be supplied as soon as the cost of the equipment wash station was finalized.
Mr. Solywoda presented an update of Friar Associates status:
Mr. Solywoda stated that in his professional opinion, the project and O&G’s handling of their responsibilities were being proceeding in an exemplary manner. He further stated that there were fewer problems with this project than with most others he had been associated with.
Mr. Solywoda stated that Friar would arrange department “functionality” final reviews during the next three weeks to ensure that layouts were as supportive as possible to the smooth flow of office work in major departments. The first department will be the City Clerk Office at a mutually acceptable date.
Mr. Clark asked Friar Associates for a review of the bid specification detail on replacement windows at City Hall. Mr. Solywoda said that the review was in process.
Mr. Clark stated that he had received a request from Probate Judge Magistrali regarding additional space for his offices in order to accommodate the potential take-on of additional towns in his jurisdiction. The Judge had specifically requested the area currently planned as the first floor conference room. It was agreed by the Committee that since there are not yet definite dates when the additional space might be necessary, that the space plan would be altered to provide IT stations should they be needed for future use. Mayor Bingham stated that the City has a State mandate to provide office furniture should the area be utilized by Probate. Mr. Clark asked Mr. Zordan to include that in his overall furniture need analysis. Mr. Clark stated he would contact Judge Magistrali to provide more detail on
staffing and area use before Friar or Mr. Zordan took their next steps.
Mr. Zordan stated that he has moved his expected office FFE presentation to the MRC forward about ten days due to Friar’s designer’s vacation. Mr. Zordan stated that the schedule advance will not adversely effect bidding or the FFE delivery process.
Other Business:
Mr. Clark asked the MRC to begin thinking about the plausibility of “reinvesting” a small percentage of the project’s projected budget savings into areas that were either eliminated from the original plan, became necessary due to changes to the original plan, or would enhance the quality of the completed project. He admonished the Committee that the project still had a long way to go, but that they should begin thinking about additions to the project so that plans could be ready, in place and well thought out if the MRC voted to incorporate them. Mayor Bingham stated that in his opinion any savings realized from the project should be left unspent, in essence returned to the taxpayers. He stated that as a member of the MRC he would vote against additional expenditures. Dr. Temkin stated
that there were several areas that should be addressed because they were eliminated from original project discussions and were to be re-evaluated when actual project costs became tangible. Mr. Clark asked members for ideas as to what facets might be considered for incorporation with the project. Mr. Cook suggested that exterior lighting might be restored, that front sidewalks might be replaced since unplanned excavation had cut through existing ones, and he suggested that re-landscaping the front grounds would enhance the project and augment plans for the downtown area. Mr. Cook asked for the opportunity to compile a list of ideas to be circulated among members for further thought. Mr. Hill suggested that costs for ideas discussed would not be significant in his opinion. The matter will be discussed in greater detail at the next MRC meeting.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM on a motion from Mr. Hill, seconded by Mayor Bingham.
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