MINUTES

LITCHFIELD SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE

LITCHFIELD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL LIBRARY

JANUARY 20, 2005

 

A meeting of the Litchfield School Building Committee was held on Thursday, January 20, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. in the Litchfield Intermediate School Library.

 

Present were: Jeff Zullo, Gary Waugh; Bill Buckley, John Mullen and Robert Blazek.

 

Also Present:  Superintendent Jay Chittum; Peg Perusse; Tim Breslin; Andrienne Longobucco; BOE Diane Knox; Wayne Shuhi and John Noone; Leo Paul; Ed Fabbri; Joanne Moore; Public and the Press.

 

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 P.M. by Jeff Zullo.

 

Motion was made by Robert Blazek to make Jeff Zullo Acting Chairman for the meeting, seconded by Gary Waugh.

Motion Carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Approval of Minutes

Approval of the December 16, 2004 minutes were tabled to the next meeting due to lack of a quorum of members from that meeting.

 

Public Participation - None

 

Communication

Jeff Zullo – A document regarding consulting services with Herbert S. Newman Partners (“HSNP”)  was emailed to BC Members.

Bill Buckley – We need to have a discussion relative to the proposal that came from HSNP about what they felt were services outside of their contract.  We should take it up at the Finance Subcommittee meeting.  I did not have a discussion with HSNP but the scope of the work is 7-10 items that have to do with furniture and furniture layout.

Jeff Zullo – We’ll bring it up at the next Finance Subcommittee meeting.

 

Jeff Zullo – We received an email from Peg Perusse regarding PCT (Planned Completion Test) meetings.

Peg Perusse – We originally had two dates in January.  When our schedule changed and we couldn’t meet this deadline, we rescheduled those dates to March.  Two dates are needed, one for each project.  They are March 9TH for LHS and April 5TH for LIS.  We are trying to move the second date up, closer to the first.   You submit the plans for each school at these meetings, they review them.  They may want corrections made.  There is a period of time before they give you a green light to bid the project.

 

Gay Waugh asked Diane Knox to introduce the new superintendent, Jay Chittum.

 

Jeff Zullo – The BOF talked about a bonding package.  The Town is planning to bond $8.8M for the school plus $585K approved by the Town Meeting.  The plan is to issue three bonds at approximately $8.8M and a fourth at $9M.  The proposal is to roll in the initial mill rate bump – build it into the tax bill.

 

 

 

Technology Update

Andrienne Longobucco – Per the BC recommendation we submitted a proposal to Capital Improvements for hardware and software.  We are hoping it gets picked up somewhere.

Jeff Zullo – We’ll keep an eye on how that goes.  We do have line items in the budget we’re carrying if necessary.

 

Motion was made by Gary Waugh to add item 6A to the Agenda for discussion with Construction Manager, seconded by Bill Buckley.

Motion Carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Discussion with Construction Manager

Bruce Walpole - Discussed the issue of the time of the PCT meetings with David Wedge.  There are four scenarios in dealing with this situation: (1) Get the second date moved up closer to the first;  (2) Go out to bid after each project is approved [risky];  (3) Wait until both projects are approved [safest];  (4) Bid the first when it is approved, if on or under budget, proceed; if not, stop and re-scope and re-bid.  By then the second should be approved.

 

Gary Waugh – Is it your experience that if LHS comes in on budget that LIS will?  Is there any correlation?

Bruce Walpole – No, they are two separate projects.  One advantage of bidding these projects together would be site work.  Buying materials together may also get a savings.  But other than not being able to combine site work, I am not terribly concerned not having a combined package.

Robert Blazek – Regarding getting the State to move the second date closer, how close?

Bruce Walpole – A week, usually its just Monday and Tuesdays, having a Wednesday scheduled is unusual.  Anytime a project goes in, if the State is overloaded, they’ll find some things wrong and make you come back the next week.  There is a possibility that it would get spread out anyway.

Robert Blazek – If we keep the current dates, how would that effect the construction schedule?

Bruce Walpole – It takes 30-35 days for review, then the Architect would have to likely make corrections, get local approval and go back to the State.   This can take about sixty (60) days.   The committee is going to have to make a decision about when you want to start bidding.

Robert Blazek – Do a lot of these projects bid at the same time?

Bruce Walpole – It comes in spurts.  The best time to bid in my opinion is in the fall.

Bill Buckley – There are too may unknowns to make a decision on this tonight.  The approvals may coincide.  LHS make take two months and LIS make only take one.  A point to the committee: When we make a decision to go out to bid, it’s out on the streets for five weeks, the second project we may only put to bid for three weeks.  There are plenty of steps that we can take.

Jeff Zullo – We want that combined bid advantage.  Can we put together a critical bid package, i.e. site work and concrete and put LIS as an alternate bid?

Bruce Walpole – You can not bid on anything the State has not approved.

Jeff Zullo – Can we put on as a future agenda item SFU Status Review?

Bruce Walpole – HSNP has people focusing on LHS for the March PCT.  They can’t then bring in LIS if PCT is rescheduled for March.

Bill Buckley – HSNP has to be ready with both projects by March 9TH.

 

Motion was made by Robert Blazek to direct HSNP and O & G to have work done on both schools for March 9TH, seconded by Bill Buckley.

Motion Carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

Bill Buckley – That conversation with HSNP has to take place tomorrow.  A delay would be inconsistent with the project.

Gary Waugh – Make it clear that there will be no additional funds for additional staff because of delays.

Bruce Walpole – Regarding the DEP, we’ll be going to ZBA (Zoning Board of Appeals) on February 1ST, STC (State Transportation Commission) on February 5TH.   Flagging of the Wetlands will be done by end of the week.  

Jeff Zullo – Can you update on status of estimates?

Bruce Walpole – We received the drawings a week and a half ago.  It is going to take four weeks to do the estimates.  We are meeting with HSNP on Friday the 28TH to review before we finish the estimates.

Jeff Zullo – You build several schools a year.  It’s not a mystery what the State of going to do.

Bruce Walpole – State review only takes a few days.  They may not get to them right away if they have a backlog.  The entire process is going to take 60 days.

Bill Buckley – The State always finds something.

Jay Chittum, Superintendent – David Wedge is working hard to try to accommodate us.  It is their busiest time.  The Committee might want to consider the possibility of having an outside review.

Bill Buckley – My suggestion is to wait and see where it goes.

Bruce Walpole – We can call and if they hint they are out 60 days we can get a local reviewer to look at drawings and give you a quote.  He gives you a quote and a timeline.  If the State says we can’t do it in sixty days, then have the local reviewer do it.

Jeff Zullo – Regarding the Estimates, you’re suggesting we schedule a special meeting on the 24TH?  I’ll discuss with the chairman.

Bruce Walpole – We don’t want to go public until we have the number right.

 

Plumb Hill Playing Fields Update

Jeff Zullo – The Board of Directors had a meeting last night, reviewed project.  Inland/Wetlands filed a notice of violation with the project.  There are some releases of sedimentation.  Retentions basins have been installed to capture the runoff.  The project started late.  The whole site has sedimentation barriers and hay bales.  There will be a hearing at some point.

Gary Waugh – What is the Playing Fields Group doing to release their own information to the press?

Jeff Zullo – The comments made by the Inland/Wetlands Chair and the Planning and Zoning Chair about the project being a disaster was inflammatory.  The Playing Fields Group moved to issue a letter about the project.  The contractor doing the project has been following the engineered design.  The DEP is inspecting the project tomorrow.

Gary Waugh – The Public should understand that some of their statements are hyperbole.

Bill Buckley – The BC has to be active and more aggressive with consultants and contractors.  We have an additional problem; we’re doing the schools when students are here.  Don’t try to defend something afterwards, be proactive.

Jeff Zullo – We have to finish the project and go forward.  The Playing Fields Group asked the BC to review a request for a change in funding.    They’ll sod the area and the track will be paved in May – June. Fencing needs to go in at that time.  We are requesting that the $75K be used instead to reconstruct the current baseball field at LHS to the back corner of the field.

John Mullen – The reason they are requesting that is for scheduling.

Joanne Moore – If the extension of the 7-8 grade wing involved any part of the baseball field, we can explore the value of reimbursement for the new field – the fencing has no reimbursement.

Jeff Zullo – We can carry it as an add/alternate in the budget.

Bruce Walpole – The BC does not want any part of putting the fence about the track.

Bill Buckley – I thought we were going to just give them $75K.  As a Building Committee it is not a part of our charge.

Jeff Zullo – We can discuss this at our next meeting.

Bill Buckley – I am not in favor of doing a baseball field at all.

Jeff Zullo – That baseball field is not adequate.

Gary Waugh - $75K is certainly not going to build a new baseball field.

Bill Buckley – The point is the BC discussed $800K of site work.   The last thing I want to do is add something to this project.  It throws another “curve ball” at us.

Bruce Walpole – We do not want a contractor from this project putting in the fence.

Bill Buckley – We just directed HSNP to get a plan in by March 9TH, we don’t want to add to the project.

 

Next Building Committee Meeting: February 3, 2005.

 

Motion to adjourn was made by Gary Waugh at 8:30 PM, seconded by John Mullen.

Motion Carried.  All votes were in the affirmative.  There were no abstentions.

 

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

Kelli L. Green

Recorder