From left: Darin Carlucci, chair of the Bristol School Committee, speaks to Selectmen Paul Yates and Chad Hanna about a $6 million-plus plan for the renovation of Bristol Consolidated School on Wednesday, Oct. 19. The committee plans to present a firm bid to the select board by the end of the year and bring the proposal to voters at the annual town meeting in March. (Evan Houk photo)
Members of the Bristol Consolidated School committee and administration updated the Bristol Select Board on its plans for a $6 million-plus renovation project on Wednesday, Oct. 19.
The committee hopes to have a bid selected and present an article at the annual town meeting in March that includes a dollar amount for the renovation.
Camden-based Cordjia Capital Projects Group has been working with the school for the past eight months and has provided an estimate of $6,352,763 for the project plan option selected by the committee at its last meeting.
John Carroll, facilities manager for BCS, said that Cordjia is familiar with the school and has provided the school a set fee for researching the project and drawing up plans.
Board Chair Darin Carlucci said a similar renovation project with a cafeteria was proposed about 20 years ago and was not approved by voters.
He outlined the goals of the project, which include providing security to students and staff, saving on annual costs by improving electric and heat efficiency, making the building Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, increasing space, and building a cafeteria that can double as a multi-purpose community room.
The plans selected by the school committee meets all of the goals, Carlucci said.
“We achieve all our goals with this second option,” Carlucci said. “Improved air quality, safety and security, efficiency cost savings, (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant accessibility, more space, and the long sought-after cafeteria.”
The school would be renovated on the northeast corner of the main entrance and a cafeteria and multi-use community space would be added there.
Other additions and upgrades include two new classrooms, a larger technology and multi-purpose space, a new teacher’s room area, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, a new three-phase electrical system, energy-efficient LED lighting, a new phone system, and a new fire alarm and sprinkler system. The addition will be scalable and a second floor can be added on top for more space in the future, Carlucci said.
The cafeteria will double as a community space that can be used for things like voting and can be separated from the main school with a different entrance, three-phase power equipment draws less energy, renovations will secure doors and windows, and air circulation will be upgraded to meet American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, standards.
“We’re trying to meet their standards for classrooms, which involves the changeover of air so that it’s a healthy building,” Carlucci said.
The school has not yet issued a request for proposals about the project, but is collecting letters of interest and intent to bid, AOS 93 Business Manager Peter Nielsen said. A public notice ran on page 6A of the Oct. 20 edition of The Lincoln County News.
“Those who reply to that will receive the full architectural drawings and RFP,” Nielsen said.
Letters must be received by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 15, according to the notice.
Carlucci said the board hopes to have chosen a final bid and firm dollar amount for the project to present to the select board by the end of the year.
“I’m comfortable with what you’re doing and understand it’s a lot of cost,” Chad Hanna, chair of the select board, said.
“I do think it is important to have at least a couple of meetings with the public,” Hanna added.
Paul Yates, select board member, agreed, saying that the public meetings will have more impact once the committee has a firm cost amount for the project from a contractor.
Town Administrator Chris Hall said the town would likely have to borrow upwards of $5 million to pay for the school renovation and addition. This would translate to payments of approximately $400,000 per year for a 15-year bond.
Hall anticipates this would raise the mil, or property tax rate, by 0.4 or 0.5 mils, if nothing else in the budget changed.
“It’s a big ask compared to what the town has done in the past,” Hall said.
The Bristol School Committee will next meet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The Bristol Select Board will next meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
