Date: Fri 06-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-Hawley-ACMAT-project

Full Text:

with cut: Lack Of Progress On Hawley Project Raises Concerns

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

The Board of Education met Tuesday night at Newtown High School to hear

progress report from Frank Krasnickas, chairman of the Public Building and

Site Commission, concerning progress - or lack of same - at the Hawley School

construction site.

The special meeting was called prior to the board's regular workshop meeting

held at 7:30 pm.

What board members learned from Mr Krasnickas was what anyone driving into the

parking behind the back of the Church Hill Road school already knew.

Except for the placement of an attractively mulched path leading out to the

playing field, separated from the construction site by a 6-foot chain link

fence, there wasn't much going on to show that a $4 million construction

addition was underway.

As of early Wednesday morning, there were no trucks, no workers and no heavy

equipment in sight. Only a lone contractor's trailer with nobody inside.

"Not much has been done to this point, with the exception of [laying] some

conduit and a walkway to the fields," said Superintendent John Reed, who also

reported to the board, after Mr Krasnickas spoke.

"I'm concerned because a delay now may cause us to run into problems at the

other end of the schedule," Dr Reed said, mindful of the fact that the Hawley

project is slated for completion in time for opening day, September 1997.

Dr Reed said that "a fairly strong letter" had been sent to Rusty Malek,

architect for the firm of Kaestle Boos Associates, Inc. in New Britain. Mr.

Malek is architect and overseer for the Hawley project contractor, ACMAT, also

of New Britain.

To address the delay at Hawley, Mr Krasnickas recommended that the board hire

a clerk of the works to monitor and report on the project.

After reviewing 17 applications, his commission recommended that Newtown

should contract the services of O&G Industries Construction Project Team of

Torrington. The board voted unanimously in favor of that action.

Chairman Herb Rosenthal noted that they were already "familiar and

comfortable" with O&G, since that firm has been monitoring the high school

project during the last year.

"We understand you are willing to do this job for $50,000, which is already in

the budget," Mr Rosenthal told O&G Vice President Maurice Hoben, who also

attended the meeting.

Then Mr Hoben was invited to brief the board on how his firm planned to

address the Hawley project, while still keeping abreast of progress at the

high school.

Mr Hoben said that a fourth employee would be added to the three already on

site at the high school job.

"We work as a team. No one individual can be the eyes and ears for the whole

project," Mr Hoben said.

"A full staff will be located in Newtown and we'll get monitoring and

reporting services from both sites," he added.

He mentioned the need to "enter into a dialogue with ACMAT about what's going

on."

"Joe will be getting into that next week," Mr Krasnickas said, referring to

Project Engineer Joe Nowicki, who is working closely with the Building and

Site Commission and is already a familiar face to board members.

"Joe is experienced in field construction and management services," Mr Hoben

said.

By the end of the special meeting, all parties seemed hopeful that by the

early part of the coming week, the construction schedule at Hawley School

would be back on track.

"We were concerned with continuity. This way, we should get it," Mr Krasnickas

concluded.