The Firehouse Committee will go back to the drawing board to look for more ways to trim the plan for a new structure after bids came in about a million dollars higher than expected.
In May, taxpayers approved $9.5 million for the new firehouse, with about $1.2 million of that designated for soft costs. The lowest bid submitted for the firehouse this week was $9.38 million without the soft costs. All areas except flooring exceeded predictions offered by contractors in recent weeks.
Brian Grant, executive vice president of Newfield Construction, the project management team, said Thursday night that contractors’ uncertainty about the market caused them to bid 40 to 50 percent higher than expected following President Trump’s announcement this month of a 50 percent tariff on imported copper.
The tariff hits particularly hard in three key areas: plumbing, mechanical and electrical. “The contractors don’t know what will happen and they own these numbers once they bid,” he said.
Newfield had already approached the bidders asking for suggestions that could save money, and Grant went through a list of those suggestions. Some would save as little as $7,500 and others would save much larger amounts. If all the suggestions were implemented—which cannot happen because the plan has already been approved by the Inland Wetlands Agency, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the public—another $1.3 million could be cut.
For example the committee could, delay landscaping and plantings, saving $60,000, or allow alternative materials for drainage, saving $40,000, but it cannot switch from the permeable paving approved by the Inland Wetlands Agency to asphalt. Other suggestions, such as eliminating radiant heating in the apparatus bay floors, would be detrimental to maintaining the condition of the expensive firetrucks.
Grant said that several bids came in electronically or were submitted after the closing date and could not be considered. He suggested that four of the bid packages be rejected because they are so far over the original estimates or because only one bid was submitted. These latecomers, some of whom submitted bids much closer to previous estimates, could then resubmit their proposals in the proper form.
First Selectman Matt Riiska admitted the bids were “quite a shocker,” but remained optimistic that the committee can deliver a quality firehouse within the funding approved by the town. The existing bids are good for 120 days, giving committee members time to finesse the project further.
“The job now is to get down the costs and look for other avenues for grants,” said Riiska. “Our main focus will be to not compromise on the main things we want.”