Construction of a centrally located fire and rescue station in Whitefield got a boost Tuesday evening when selectmen set Thurs., Sept. 16 as the date contractors will be able to pick up bidding packets at the town office.
Voters approved building the 4800-square foot facility last March, setting a cap of $548,144 with an estimated four percent interest rate over the life of a 30-year loan.
Officials will begin advertising in newspapers early next week, finding online sites visited by builders, and contacting general contractors who have expressed an interest.
Building committee chairman Erik Ekholm said, “There is incredible interest in this. Everybody is eager,” within the Midcoast region and beyond, he added.
Interested Whitefield builders lacking bonding would most likely have to subcontract under a general contractor. Loan conditions will call for bonded contractors, said board of selectmen chair Steve McCormick.
“A large general contractor can bond for everybody,” Ekholm said. It takes 90 days to get bonding, and the construction will be under way before the end of that time frame.
The lender considered most attractive, Maine Bond Bank, extended its deadline for reviewing project documents to Oct. 1, Selectman Frank Ober announced.
There was discussion about encouraging contractors to consider hiring locals, some of whom own gravel pits and/or have experience excavating. Ekholm said it wouldn’t make sense to haul gravel in from out of town.
Designer Lynn Talacko said plans with specifications “are not all pulled together tonight,” but should be completed within the week.
While talking about the eventual costs, McCormick said, “My goal is to do it as economically as it can be done” because of the dire financial situation the town faces next year with no surplus. Nothing that wasn’t part of the initial plan should be added, McCormick advised.
Talacko and building committee member Carole Cifrino had other thoughts. Talacko mentioned the advantages of a smoke and vehicle exhaust extraction system and a generator. Cifrino reminded the group that at town meeting, “We talked about the town using the building as an emergency shelter, so I don’t think anybody would object to spending money on a generator.”
It was decided that such additions could appear as options on the overall bid.
Ekholm said, “We don’t want to look as if we’re spending every penny we can. There are some things we can go fundraising for.”
Fire chief Tim Pellerin said if $100,000 is left over from the completed project, the fire department could decide to spend only $25,000 of that on a prioritized list of needs.
Site design became more of an issue during the June public hearing when abutters voiced concerns about lights, noise and parking out front, with one resident urging that extra parking spaces be provided on the north side of the building.
Ekholm suggested Tuesday that site work “could go to local guys if the overall bid comes in lower” than expected. Afterward, while committee members and selectmen were walking the site, Shirley Warren, whose home is across Townhouse Road, was happy to learn the station entrance had been shifted northward. Last June she objected to the layout that she feared would allow truck headlights to shine directly through her living room windows.
Also during the walk on what was formerly the John Greene property, Ekholm indicated mature hardwood trees that would remain. Trees that will have to be removed include conifers and a red maple.
Selectmen McCormick and Ober, along with Talacko and Ekholm, will be at the town office on Sept. 16, from 9 a.m. – noon and 1-4 p.m. to answer questions from potential bidders and show them the site.
All sealed bids are to be returned by noon on Wed., Sept. 29. Selectmen will open the bids at 1 p.m. during a joint meeting of the committee and the board.
