Bridgeport Hall Ready For Renovations

By Kendra Bobowick

They found more asbestos than they expected buried in the walls and under concrete, but remediation work and spot demolition at Bridgeport Hall is nearly complete.

“We’re finishing up. Things are going well,” said O&G Industries Project Manager David Cravanzola, regarding the Fairfield Hills building’s first phase of renovation. The additional work exceeded the $418,000 bid on the project, but costs were covered by contingency funds, he explained. “We’re not over budget,” he said.

The current work follows a year’s worth of visible activity at the campus, which has been in the planning stages since 2001. Work in 2007 included the installation of a 90-foot baseball diamond, soil remediation, demolition of buildings outside the scope of reuse for the former state hospital campus, and the drafting requests and responses to developers interested in renovating existing space.

Also moving from planning and discussion to action was work to relocate town and education offices into Bridgeport Hall.

In past weeks, residents jogging, driving, or walking their dogs past the building may have seen the demolition of roughly 5,000 square feet of late additions to the original 1930s main brick structure. “Additions were for freezers and coolers to support the dining facility and additions to the eating areas,” Mr Cravanzola said. Passersby may also have seen the piles of rubble and debris first accumulate, then vanish during a site cleanup. Machinery, men in hardhats, and a small but constant group of vehicles have been at the worksite in past weeks as the project edges closer to the next phase of work.

Vacant since the state hospital closed in the 1990s, the brick shell of Bridgeport Hall — one among the many former dormitories, dining halls, labs, and offices of Fairfield Hills — has until recent renovations been idle, except for its occasional use until 2006 as a site for the annual Booth Library Book Sale. Municipal and education department offices are slated for relocation to the parklike campus across from Reed Intermediate School, leaving behind current space at the Edmond Town Hall and 31 Peck’s Lane.

With phase I “virtually done,” Fairfield Hills Authority Chairman Robert Geckle looked into the near future. “Next is phase II to start work on the municipal offices themselves.” Bid packages are poised to go out. First, the state Department of Education is reviewing applications for reimbursement grants for the Board of Educations portion of the remodeling. The overall project, including the phase I, is an estimated $10.5 million. “We think the $10.5 is a good number,” Mr Geckle said. “The real proof is when we get the bids back.” Although he trusts that the estimated amount is good, O&G can value engineer to find cost savings if bids come in over estimates, he said.

Already planners anticipate returns for the education portions of the project. A maximum of $600,000 could come back, Mr Geckle said. He also noted, “You never know…” Mr Cravanzola said the return could be approximately $500,000. This week the Board of Selectman asked that the schools superintendent’s office review applications to ensure there is no confusion about the project and potential for reimbursement at state level.

As soon as the state education department approvals come in, Mr Cravanzola wants to go out to bid. The bidding process can take “about a month,” he said. He said he wants the project “wrapped up.”

The building’s open interior spaces are a good canvas for remodeling. “It’s conducive, there are not a lot of obstacles in the way,” Mr Cravanzola said. What will the finished space look like? “Every department will be different with both open and closed spaces,” he said.