New Fire House Updates

A special Fire House Building Committee appointed by the Board of Selectmen has been working on plans for a new firehouse to replace the old one on Shepard Road. Meetings are held as needed, and are open to the public; agendas are posted here. This page contains updates and background resources including documents and plans. Please direct questions or inquiries to the Selectmen’s Office: 860-542-5829.

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12/5/24
Construction bids for Norfolk’s new fire house could be let by late February. At a meeting Thursday night Silver Petrucelli architect David Stein said construction design is 60 to 70 percent ready and could be complete by January 20. The construction management firm would then need another month to prepare to go out to bid.

The fire house committee has been working to reduce the cost of a building that was originally estimated to cost $9.3 million dollars. Fire Chief Brian Hutchins  said earlier Thursday that significant cuts have been made, but the committee pressed for specifics about cheaper alternatives. 

According to Stein, alternatives such as a standing-seam metal roof as opposed to asphalt shingles would save significant amounts of money, but reducing the size of the “fairly compact” building would probably not help. It is going to be largely a choice of materials,” he said. 

Stein said 2024 has been “a rollercoaster” in terms of pricing, with costs inflated by 20 to 30 percent early in the year. Prices have stabilized now, however, and “the sooner we have numbers, the sooner you will know where you stand.”

Brian Grant of Newfield Construction, the management firm, agreed, saying the sooner the bid packages can go out, the better for the town. “Typically, we get two or three bids for every package,” he said. “The bidding market will tell us what it will actually be. It’s a dance right now, but it’s a simple enough project. I don’t think we will have to reduce it.”

12/4/24
Another meeting of the Fire House Committee is slated for town Hall on Thursday, December 5, at 6:00 p.m., in person and via Zoom. Click here for the agenda, which includes the Zoom link.

10/31/24
The Fire House Committee continued trimming the proposal for the new facility on Shepard Road Wednesday evening when it met with James Nall, an architect with Silver Petrucelli.

Substantial reductions have been made to the early estimate of $9.3 million. For instance, a three-bay utility shed at the rear of the firehouse will now be a prefabricated Morton building, reducing its cost by about half.  

“We’re trimming constantly, taking things out to get the cost down,” said First Selectman Matt Riiska.

Similarly, the hose-drying tower has been reduced in height to 26 feet, its windows have been removed and a ventilation system substituted. Nall told the committee that 26 feet will be sufficient for drying hose, but that the space beneath the peaked roof can also be employed if the firefighters want more height.

The interior of the firehouse will now be barebones. “There is no carpeting anymore and furnishing will be something the firefighters will have to take care of, unless there is money left over at the end,” said Riiska. “We have cut quite a lot out. It’s very utilitarian.”

There is no estimate yet of how much the cutbacks will save.

9/19/24
The Fire House Building Committee will meet next Tuesday to consider construction management bids received from Newfield Construction in Hartford and Downes Construction Company of New Britain.

Newfield’s bid for overseeing construction of the new fire house is $629,600, remarkably closed to Downes’ bid of $634,400. 

Downes has worked with the building committee on the first phase of the project, developing the $9.3 million cost estimate. It has also helped to create a list of items that could be eliminated or altered to reduce the price tag. First Selectman Matt Riiska said he is slated to meet with the architects, Silver Petrucelli, on Friday to go over that list. 

“We will make a decision next week on which company we will go with,” Riiska said. “We are not required to take the lowest bid, especially when they are that close, but we will meet with Newfield to give the committee a chance to hear what they have to say. We have to consider what is best for the town.”

A special meeting has been called for Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the fire house. After discussion with Newfield, the committee will review the two management proposals and decide. The agenda, including a Zoom link, is posted here.

9/19/29/19/24
A special meeting of the Fire House Building Committee will be held Monday, September 24, at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall. Click here to see the agenda, which has a Zoom link for remote attendance.

9/4/24
Construction manager needed for new Norfolk, Conn., firehouse. Click here for the full RFP.
Click here for Schedule A, Fee Proposal.
Click here for Schedule B, Schedule of CM Services.
Click here for Schedule C, General Conditions Staffing.

Proposals are due September 16, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.

8/23/24
Jeff Anderson, vice president of pre-construction for Downes Construction Company, assured the Fire House Committee Wednesday night that the company will provide soup-to-nuts service during construction of the new fire house on Shepard Road. 

Anderson said that First Selectman the town’s desire to go out to bid before the end of the year is “very doable.”

The town recently hired the firm as construction manager for the project. Downes has long specialized in working on public safety projects such as police stations and firehouses.  

“We’re public safety experts,” Anderson said, adding that the company has extensive experience in grant coordination, support and adherence to standards, making sure that all work complies with state grant requirements. The firm will even assist town officials in tapping into grant funding. 

The company works with all parties “to deliver on time, at or under budget, and to your expectations,” he asserted. It is already developing a preliminary budget. “Once that’s done we pull the documents apart for each trade and build the project on paper,” he said.

The company has worked extensively with Silver Petrucelli, the architects for the Norfolk fire house. “We’re on a first-name basis with them, which will pay dividends, because we know their expectations,” Anderson said. 

The firm works cooperatively with Silver Petrucelli to craft the Requests for Proposals, and when the contractors return their bids, they review them with the low bidders to make sure they understand the schedule and phasing. Downes then returns to the town with a guaranteed maximum price.

Anderson said the firm has a “very good understanding of the capabilities of different contractors” allowing it to provide the Fire House Committee with insights. A full-time superintendent will be assigned during construction, and the committee will be updated weekly to “inform you of where we are and what we see daily.

First Selectman Matt Riiska asked about timing of the project. Anderson said the first estimate should be ready around Labor Day and, after a review with Silver Petrucelli, a second estimate will be generated for the town. 

Saying that Downes attempts to communicate completely with the communities it serves, Nicole DeMaio, vice president of business development, said the company could share information on the town’s website and provide a time-lapse recording of construction.

8/20/24
A special meeting of the Fire House Building Committee will be held Wednesday, August 21, at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall. Click here to see the agenda, which has a Zoom link for remote attendance.

8/6/24
A special meeting of the Fire House Building Committee will be held Wednesday, August 7, at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall. Click here to see the agenda, which has a Zoom link for remote attendance.

6/20/24
A special meeting of the Fire House Building Committee will be held Thursday, June 27, at 6:00 p.m. in Town Hall. The meeting is public. Click here to see the agenda, which has a link for those wishing to attend by Zoom.

6/6/24
The Firehouse Building Committee hopes to have a plan for the new facility finalized by the end of July, First Selectman Matt Riiska told his board of selectmen Tuesday afternoon.

“Members of the fire department have been attending the building committee meetings, so a lot of things are being hashed out. They’re doing a very good job of getting a plan that meets the fire department’s requirements but is well within reason of what they really need,” he said. 

He said architect David Stein recommended this week that the town employ a project manager. “I’m relying on David to provide names of people who we hope will apply,” Riiska said, adding that a subcommittee would make the selection. The project manager will get solid quotes for different components. The cost is estimated at $75,000 to $85,000.

Also to be hired is an estimator, who will look at the final plan and estimate how much it will cost so the town can pursue funding. That position could command a salary of about $15,000.  

The town is in line for $3 million in state funding and Riiska is trying to get another million in a federal grant. He confirmed that even though government money is involved, the town will not be compelled to take the lowest bid. 

Since the Planning and Zoning Commission gave approval for the site’s development, committee discussions have centered on what the building will look like. “We’re very aware of what it will look like and how it will fit into the community,” he said. 

The building will be constructed next to City Meadow and will be visible from a number of vantage points around the town’s center. Stein designed the building to have a rustic, barn-like quality so it would fit into the rural character of Norfolk and echo the color palette of nearby buildings. The building committee is now juggling how to achieve that appearance while keeping costs down.

5/31/24
The Firehouse Building Committee has started getting deep into details about what the new firehouse might look like when completed.

“We’re in the process of looking at different finishes, interior floor plans and things that will be going into the final cost analysis,” said First Assistant Fire Chief Matt Ludwig. “We haven’t picked things like fixtures, wall coverings or floor coverings. Next month, we will look at the mechanicals. We have to bring all that to a company that will create a cost projection based on the design.”

During Monday’s meeting the committee saw a slide presentation by architect David Stein of preliminary sketches for the interior design. Stein is the principal of the firm Silver Petrucelli and presented the design concept that was taken to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“It’s all very preliminary,” said Ludwig. “We will have another meeting in June when we’ll get a little more.”

The meetings are open to the public.