Marcia Chambers Photo
Building Commission.
The town’s building commission (pictured) last night approved four out of eight architectural and engineering firms for upcoming interviews regarding designs for a renovated and expanded Walsh Intermediate School.
School Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez announced on Dec. 9 that the town was preparing to send out Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) for the design of Walsh, officially starting the long-awaited process for changes to the school.
The eight firms submitted a request for qualifications to undertake what is expected to be an overall $88.2 million project, one that will be financed through bonding. The school is expected to be completed in 2019. The architectural firms were asked to describe their qualifications and their firm’s connection to the design and construction of school facilities.
The five members of the building commission, now deemed the school building committee for purposes of this project, discussed the firms on their short list for about an hour, offering their opinions on the applicants. They examined firms for their experience with intermediate schools, their reputation and whether they had been sued in connection with other projects. The firms had presented their ideas to the commission at earlier meetings.
The four firms that made the final cut included JCJ Architecture of Hartford , Antinozzi Associates of Bridgeport, Kaestle Boos Associates Inc. of New Britain, and DTC/Perkins Eastman of Stamford.
DTC/Perkins Eastman and its architect and engineers have been the face of the Walsh project since the firm was selected to undertake a feasibility study. The firm’s top officials have outlined the project at a number of public meetings, including those at the Board of Education, the Board of Finance, and the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) and its committees. The firm recently presented a slide show of what a transformed Walsh would look like.
DTC/Perkins Eastman clearly has the inside track.
Attorney James Killelea, who sits on the building commission, said as much when he noted, “Perkins Eastman has a leg up… Do we want to include them or exclude them? Are they too close to the client?”
He and the other commissioners observed that all the firms had fine reputations. The members of the committee noted those firms with particular experience in building schools. In the end Marci Palluzzi, a member of the commission, said she thought Perkins Eastman should make the final cut, especially because of their work on the project to date and the full commission agreed.
Commission Workload
There was no discussion about two additional temporary members of the commission, one of the concerns raised by the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) Democrats when they abstained last week from voting on the $88.2 million project. Under the ordinance creating the building commission, the Board of Selectman (BOS) may appoint two temporary members to represent the “user’s interest” for a particular project.” No more than one of such temporary members shall be of the same political party,” the ordinance says.
Third Selectman Jack Ahern, the lone Democrat on the BOS, voiced concern at the RTM meeting that the commission was not complete and the names of the appointees were not known. Tonight’s BOS agenda does not include any further appointments to the Building Commission. The BOS meets at 6 p.m. tonight at Fire Headquarters.
Questions were also raised about the ability of the commission to handle multiple building projects.
Last night Peter Banca, commission chair, attempted to schedule consistent meetings for the commission. In the past, a number of commission meetings have been cancelled. He suggested that the commission adopt a formal day and time to meet each month, specifically “the third Monday of each month as our regular meeting except during the summer.”
But Town Engineer Janice Plaziak, who attended the meeting, suggested to Banca that his proposed meeting schedule was not sufficient.
“You have a lot of work to do in the next couple of months. I suggest two meetings a month for the next couple of months,” she said. Banca then agreed. Plaziak quickly outlined dates through October 2016, checking her calendar.
Plaziak also outlined a series of February dates for the four Walsh submissions and she noted a Request for Qualifications for an owner’s representative on the Walsh project.
First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove, an ex-officio member of the commission, attended the meeting. He reminded the commission that for the town to receive a state grant toward funding for the Walsh project the Walsh application, including final designs, was due in June. Michael Krause, Board of Education chair, attended the meeting as well. Cosgrove has named him as an ex-officio member of the commission.
Community House/Senior Center Update
The commission’s agenda sought an overall status report on the Senior Center/Community House project. Plaziak said there were some issues concerning this project that need to come before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
There was no further discussion by the building commission last night about the community house project even though the agenda for the Board of Selectmen’s meeting tonight seeks approval of Quisenberry Arcari Architects, LLC for the Phase II design, development, and completion of the community house project. No monetary figures were provided for the BOS agenda.
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Marcia,
In your report of First Selectman Cosgrove's comments to the Commission you attribute the First Selectman as stating " for the town to receive a state grant toward funding for the Walsh project the Walsh application, including final designs, was due in June". Although I attended the meeting I did not clearly hear this comment - however, it is incorrect. The ED049 Application submission that is due on June 30, 2016 does not require final designs for the project. In fact the documentation that is currently in hand from the DTC/Perkins Eastman feasibility study of Walsh, along with the Edspec already completed, and the RTM's bond authorization approval is sufficient for this application. Typically the final design process for a state-reimbursed school project of this type would begin after the ED049 application has been submitted.
The administration's apparent push to rush the early decision-making on this project cannot be justified by reference to the ED049 application deadline.
Peter Hentschel
RTM, 2nd District