MINUTES

LITCHFIELD SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE

 LITCHFIELD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL LIBRARY

DECEMBER 18, 2003

A meeting of the Litchfield School Building Committee was held on Thursday, December  18, 2003, at 7:00 p.m. in the Litchfield Intermediate School Library.

Present were: J. Healy, Chairman; M. Bramley, B. Buckley, G. Waugh, R. Blazek, J. Zullo.

 

Also Present: John Tindall-Gibson, Superintendent and Peggy Perusse, Business Manager

 

Meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM by J. Healy

 

Motion made by M. Bramley  to approve the minutes as corrected of the December 11, 2003  meeting sec. by R. Blazek.

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

 

Public Participation

Bob Blazek, liaison to the BOS had the following ideas which he brought to Committee from BOS:

1.         Dan Coelho was happy with the discussion with regard to his inquiry and the possible Renovation as New status at LIS.

2.         Kevin Creed again would like three weeks between completed presentation and referendum so presentations can be made to public and different sections of Town.

 

Mac Bramley was in touch with Andrew Roraback regarding the communication with State and Mac read Andrews reply.

 

Communication

Peg Perusse sent David Wedge a communication of questions and comments re: the letter sent from the State regarding the ED 049Rs and received answers back from Paige Farnham who is on his staff – both are attached here as Exhibit A.

Richard Munday of Herbert S. Newman and Partners is going to provide input and guidance for the Education Specifications (ed specs) to the program designer.  The Board of Education (BOE) will hire a consultant to develop modified ed specs.  Richard will do this as part of his basic services.  After the referendum we will have the Architect work with the program developer (designer).  Richard [Munday] feels he has significant information that will help.  We will not to do ed specs until after the referendum.

Discussion

B. Buckley – Richard [Munday] is going to be coming up with conceptual drawings not based on ed specs?  He has to have some idea.  Those conceptual drawings are going to control the BOE’s modified ed specs.   Committee – They will base the drawings on the ED 049R and the ed specs will have to catch up with that.   In what form can this project go to a referendum? The Legislature won’t at until May 2004 on the ED 049Rs.

 

 

Financial Update

Finance Subcommittee could not be called to order due to lack of a quorum.   Mac Bramley reported that the expenses to date were $1,887.40 - $1,000.00 do the Architect and $887.40 to the recording Secretary.

 

Architect Update

Negotiations started today and we are three quarters of the way through the contract.  We are comparing the last town approved contract from Newman to the one Newman recently gave us.  Zullo – on the previous project with Newman they went through detailed design for renovation as new and we paid for this activity.   That work is done.  How much money, which we already paid, was associated with this detailed design?  I want the detailed design work.  I do not want the Town to pay for the same thing twice.  Buckley – Two things to keep in mind while negotiating:  None of the money, time of contract was voted on.  We voted to have Jack and Stacey negotiate a contract with them.  He has to understand what he wrote means nothing.  The intent was to have negotiations.  Zullo – We want to see how Newman calculates the savings.  They know how many hours they put in the project that we paid for.  This building is fully detailed on their CAD system.  I would like to know hours and rates.  They were doing design work to go out to bid.   Mechanical/Electrical, all components were known.   Healy – They way Richard’s letter is structured the inference is that this is the best we can do now and there will be additional credits later on.  Committee– Richard should clearly understand that he is not hired yet, we are negotiating a contract and it is based on a successful completion of a contract.  Healy – We are meeting again on the 30TH and told him we want a contract by the 1ST or 2ND week of January [2004].   Zullo – I ask the chairman to bring back a contract by January 8TH or that you can not negotiate a contract.   Healy – how about the 15TH?  Zullo – Too late, we will never make it to the February referendum.  If we want to get this before the April budget hearing we have to have a referendum February or March.  Buckley – If hacek can’t make the 8TH let’s make it the 15TH.  Tell Richard her can’t dilly-dally.  They can’t do work and are not working until the contract is negotiated.   Zullo – If we set an objective for Chairman and Vice Chairman it puts the responsibility on Richard to get this done.  We can emphasize to Richard that time is of the essence and we need to get the contract done or go to someone else. 

 

Construction Manager Update  

Healy - We will start negotiations with O&G next week.   Buckley – You need to bring both contracts back to committee together.  Once Architect is ser you have to full in the blanks on the CM contract.  The supplements I have you will leave no holes in the contract.  Bramley – The idea of fixed costs, I find that extremely attractive.  Stacey is working on a firm fixed lump sum fee.  O & G had done the same amount of estimates for Renovation as New.  Zullo – Architect was paid $1.4M.  O & G was paid $80K.

 

Community Outreach Discussion

We had an informal discussion and formed a group of three committee members to do community outreach subcommittee: Kent Gilyard, Lynn Chapman and Bob Blazek.  There is $8,000.00 in the budget for publishing materials.  There are groups willing to help inform the Town of about this project.   We can not spend municipal funds to influence voters once the referendum is set.  You can inform voters by sending out informational packets.   The BOS can certainly pass a resolution to support the project and has agreed to support this project from the beginning to end.   There is no prohibition on a public official making a statement supporting a project, just not spending municipal funds.   The Building Committee is not here to sell this project to the Town, just to inform.    The Webpage as Tai Soo Kim had with Canton project was impressive.  Can we get that together?  Doug Parker had a webpage with all minutes.

 

Motion was made by J. Zullo that the Community Outreach Subcommittee facilitates starting a webpage as quickly as possible, sec. by B. Buckley

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

 

With regard to community outreach, can we move around Northfield, Bantam and Litchfield?

 

Motion was made by J. Zullo to create a Community Outreach Subcommittee comprising of Bob Blazek, Kent Gilyard and Lynn Chapman.  sec. by G. Waugh.

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

 

 

Schedule Discussion

Healy – I would like to recommend to the committee not to have a meeting until January 8TH which will be a special meeting.   Zullo – the schedule has to be on every Agenda.  We don’t have a program manager.  We have blown the original schedule.   Buckley – let’s go back to Richard Munday and ask him to give us a contract up to the referendum.  It can’t obligate us to any more money than we have.  If we want to expedite the pre-referendum work, it’s simple, let’s have a contract, it doesn’t take any negotiation power away from us.  We know by June 30, 3004 we have to have the funding approved by this town.  Take the contract I gave you and send it to Architect.  Let them plug in the numbers and duration.   Zullo – we need contingencies on the contract for the referendum passing and State approval.  When do we want to have an end date for the referendum?  We should establish dates and work with them.  I am trying to force the issue with scheduling.   Committee – What do we need in hand to go to the referendum?  Concept development is note based on ed specs, but based on ED 049R filings.  Ed specs have to come up to speed with ED 049R.  Those ed specs should have been brought up to date.    If we have a referendum in May we would at least have another chance if it doesn’t pass to bring back another proposal.  How long would it take to update the ed specs?  Don’t Know.  Ed Specs has become a negotiated item between what Building Committee can afford to do to meet ed specs.  We don’t want to do ed specs and them lose a referendum and have to do another ed spec.  The BOE is responsible for updating ed specs.  The Building Committee is obligated to work from ed specs.   We want ed specs developed in conjunction with Architect input.  Bramley – I see a problem with scheduling a date for referendum.  I do not see a problem estimating a schedule.   Gary has a point; if we can there should be room at the back end of schedule for another vote.    Let’s try to put down milestones instead of dates:          Approval of Contract, Concept Development, Ed Specs, Community Outreach, and Referendum.   Zullo – I am strongly in favor of having a referendum vote in the first quarter.  The Town is faced with a tough choice, hard to combine the referendum and town budget.  We set the dates, we work to them.  If we don’t have a contract on January 8TH, why are we meeting?  Committee - We do not want to mix this up with the town budget.  Why can’t we pick a date in March or early April and work to that date.  Can the BOS start the ed specs?  John Tindall-Gibson will talk with them tomorrow. 

 

Motion was made by M. Bramley that in the event there is progress on contracts between Christmas and New Years we authorized Chairman to call a special meeting on January 8, 2003, sec. by B. Blazek.

 

Discussion

Don’t wait until the day of the meeting to get us the contract.  I would like to read it before I vote on it.   If you have something you don’t agree on, that would also be a good reason to call a meeting on the 8TH.  The town attorney and the BOE attorney are going to look at this contract as is the volunteer.  We ca approve contract based on terms and subject to attorney approval.   If you are coming back with contract we want time to approve it.  Would like it by 4PM the day before we vote on it.  Jack – There is a reason you asked us to negotiate the contract and I don’t expect you to pick it apart when we come back with it. 

 

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

 

Motion was made by M. Bramley to adjourn the meeting at 8:50PM, sec, by B. Blazek.

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

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Kelli L. Green, Recording Secretary