Public Building Commission Chairman Resigns

By John Voket

After a nearly two-hour meeting, the Public Building and Site Commission came out of an executive session to learn that its chairman William Furrier was leaving the panel effective immediately. While neither the town clerk or the first selectman’s office had received an official letter of resignation by press time August 28, First Selectman Joe Borst said he and the commissioners in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting were told verbally that it was to be Mr Furrier’s final meeting.

Mr Borst and fellow Public Building and Site Commission member James Juliano both said Mr Furrier cited work and family responsibilities as his reason for stepping down. A message left at Mr Furrier’s home was not immediately returned.

Tuesday’s meeting was a busy one, with an update on the high school expansion, the new town hall project, the shared senior/community center and discussion on hiring at least one clerk of the works to oversee the municipal building projects on the agenda. Mr Furrier arrived approximately 15 minutes after the 6:30 pm meeting commenced, and offered no indication of his intent to resign up to the time the panel moved into executive session to discuss a possible candidate for the clerk position.

During the earlier part of the meeting, Ed Barrett, the high school project manager for the Morganti Group, discussed at length details on qualifying various bidders for the multifaceted high school expansion.

He guided commissioners and other officials in attendance, including School Superintendent Janet Robinson and business manager Ronald Bienkowski, through a spread sheet, pointing out which low bidders had qualified to participate. Mr Barrett also discussed several instances where low bidders were rejected.

Mr Barrett said the second lowest bidder for site work and concrete would likely be considered because the low bidder failed to include $30,000 in concrete planking in its original package. The construction manager said he was turning to the second bidder, who also bid on the track and field alternate at a rate lower than the estimated cost.

That move could save nearly a half-million dollars on the project, Mr Barrett said.

Demolition for the high school project would also go to the second bidder, Mr Barrett said, because the low bidder failed to accommodate water proofing and additional protection during the gym roof removal and renovation.

The Morganti representative said there was only one bidder on the fire protection system at $357,000.

All told, Mr Barret said to complete the project accommodating all the work mandated in the bids, as well as alternates including an artificially turfed football field and painted concrete block interiors, the project would require an additional $6.045 million.

The school board was expected to discuss and possibly recommend moving that new appropriation forward at a special meeting Thursday, August 28 (see related story in this edition of The Newtown Bee).

Mr Barrett also told the commission that once the high school project breaks ground, it would take 23 months to complete, which is contrary to an earlier expectation.

“We’ll never get it done in 19 months,” Mr Barrett said.