BRISTOL — Work on the new town hall is projected to start June 1, according to Town Administrator Nik Coates, who said the project will rely upon “value engineering” to bring costs in line with the budget for the job.
Bids for the upgrade of the former Newfound Family Practice building on School Street came in much higher than projected, but included a lot of work that a closer look showed to be unnecessary — such as painting the insides of closets. Some of the adjustments will result in lower-quality material — things with a 15-year life expectancy rather than a 20- or 30-year life — but some things were eliminated, as well, such as the backup generator for the building.
Voters agreed to purchase the building from LRGHealthcare at a special meeting last year, and in March, they appropriated the funds to renovate the building, which would allow town offices to relocate from the Bristol Municipal Building. Once they move out, the Bristol Police Department will be able to expand into the additional space in that building.
Construction costs have risen about 7 percent since Town Meeting, according to Selectman Rick Alpers, which helped to push the bids over the $899,637 projected cost of the work.
Coates said some common-sense reductions will help to bring the project back in line with the budget, such as replacing only doors that need to be replaced, rather than putting all new doors on the offices. They can keep some of the existing cabinetry instead of purchasing new ones, and bring some furniture from the Municipal Building instead of buying all new furnishings. Replacing the upstairs railing was nixed, and an inspection of the alarm system showed that it was fully functional, so there is no need to replace that.
Other things, such as the elevator to the second floor, will be harder to make do without. The plan originally called for just putting in the elevator shaft so it would be ready to add one in the future, but selectmen had “hoped to build the whole thing from day one,” said Coates. Now it is back to the shaft alone.
There are other savings to be realized by having the town provide collection bins instead of having a contractor provide them and having Coates coordinate the scheduling of electrical work rather than paying an electrician to oversee it. They were going to remove a sink from the office the town clerk will have, but Raymah Simpson said it actually would be a good thing to have after handling money during the day.
Plans also called for such things as replacing 14 meters with a single electric meter, but that would only serve to make it more convenient for Eversource and was eliminated from the project.
“There are a lot of little things we can do to save money, and hopefully will be able to add some things back because of the savings,” Coates said.
Historic Plaques
Coates said the selectmen are hopeful of being able to make use of historic plaques created by Plymouth State University students as part of a public history project they did for the town. The plaques may be placed in the new town hall, or in locations around town, but the Historic District Commission rejected them as not being suitable for the buildings they were intended to occupy.
The project is one of two that PSU students agreed to perform for the town as a community service project combined with a learning exercise. The other project is a merchandising and economic development project which will culminate in a report that the town has not yet seen.
The students doing the history project consulted twice with the Bristol Historical Society and did research with Richard Musgrove’s History of Bristol to identify 12 historic buildings and create weather-proof plaques that name the building and provide a brief history, with a QR code that allows people to scan it and be directed to a webpage the students created with more historical information.
Coates said he was not present when the Historic District Commission rejected the students’ work, so he could not speak to the reason the commission dismissed their scholarship, but as for the plaques, he said the commissioners wanted brass plaques that would be more in keeping with the character of the buildings than the Trex material the students used.
When Selectman Don Milbrand reported to his board about the decision, Chair Les Dion expressed dismay, saying, “That’s contrary to what we’re trying to do” in getting assistance from others.
Coates said after that meeting that “The board will figure out what to do next, and we’ll find a solution.”
New cruiser, new ambulance
Police Chief James McIntire reported that the new cruiser is in and he asked the selectmen at their May 16 meeting to approve a $17,000 transfer from the police cruiser capital reserve fund to equip the cruiser it is replacing with a hybrid cage that can be used for the K9 patrol as well as being able to transport a prisoner.
Selectman J.P. Morrison objected, citing the promise that the K9 patrol would by funded by donations and not cost the town any money. Chief McIntire explained that he wanted to make that cruiser a K9 vehicle so he could then sell the oldest cruiser that currently serves that function.
Selectmen approved the expenditure with Morrison abstaining from the vote.
Fire Chief Ben LaRoche reported on the arrival of the new ambulance, along with the new stretcher that had to be ordered to comply with new regulations that bar the use of the “hook and horns” stretchers that have been a mainstay in ambulances for many years. He said other towns pay more for ambulances, but he feels the one they purchased is “a pretty good product.”
LaRoche also reported that he would be interviewing finalists for the new firefighting position.
Selectmen heard the finalized schedule and plans for Bristol’s bicentennial celebration this summer and agreed in concept to the purchase of an evergreen tree for the downtown common. They asked members of the Pasquaney Garden Club to provide some prices and specifications.
Selectmen also agreed to try earlier weekday hours for the transfer station to accommodate people whose jobs prevent them from using it at the current schedule. The change will not take effect until the new transfer station opens.
On a 4-1 vote, selectmen agreed to a $23,500 contract for marketing and branding for the town, a proposal that originated with the economic development committee. Morrison voted against the contract, which came in 60 percent higher than the town had expected. Milbrand said he personally saw little value in rebranding the town, but went along with it because so many others considered it important.
