Will re-tool to cut costs
Village rejects contracts for firehouse renovations

By Michelle O’Riley

VOORHEESVILLE — The village board, at a workshop Tuesday night, rejected all five prime contracts submitted for firehouse renovations.

According to the board, all of the bids came in over the proposed bond amount of $1.2 million. The bonding authorization amount was voted on and passed last year by village residents.
The upgrade for the 38-year-old firehouse on Route 156 was termed "functional, not fancy," by former mayor and current trustee Jack Stevens last summer before the public vote.

Richard Straut, senior vice president of Barton and Loguidice, the engineering firm working on the project, said at the time that the fire department needed more space to accommodate larger equipment and to provide room for training and community events. The building is also in need of renovations to bring it into compliance with current building codes.

Also, he said, the current heating and electrical systems are near the end of their life and need to be replaced. And, several safety and accessibility issues need to be addressed — restrooms are not accessible to people with handicaps and asbestos in the building needs to be removed.

The contracts that the board rejected on Tuesday included 18 bids from contractors and subcontractors for various reconstruction work to be completed on the firehouse.

The work costs were more than anticipated.

Some additional costs include $17,000 for air handlers that are required to meet fresh- air requirements for the building, and $42,000 for ductwork.

The village board, fire department, and project engineers discussed possible changes to the current specifications that would decrease the cost of the renovation project.

There is a need to look at major items, said Mayor Robert Conway.

Straut and Ronald Slade, from Barton and Loguidice, mentioned that a bathroom could be eliminated if the handicapped-accessible bathroom were changed to unisex. Eliminating a bathroom would also open up more storage space, they said.

Straut and Slade will now need to rework the project specifications and meet again with the board before any more bids can be accepted, said village attorney Anne-Jo McTague.

The board agreed that the redesign and bidding needs to be completed in time for firehouse renovations to begin this fall.