<p>A sole bid for the new town hall came in substantially higher than the money appropriated for the project.</p>
A lone bid for the proposed new town hall in Oak Bluffs came in this week substantially higher than the money appropriated for the project, forcing town officials to consider redesigning and rebidding the work.
Dellbrook/J.K. Scanlan, a construction firm that has built several public projects on the Vineyard, was the only qualified bidder to submit a bid by the May 16 deadline.
The bid came in at $9.64 million, about $1.8 million higher than the $7.8 million appropriated at the 2017 annual town meeting.
Temporary trailers are in place for town hall workers, but new building project may be put on hold.
Temporary trailers are in place for town hall workers, but new building project may be put on hold.
“It happens,” said town administrator Bob Whritenour. “In this instance, because of that difference, it’s unlikely we’ll immediately issue a contract.”
Town officials said they will meet with Scanlan next week to analyze the bid, but they were not optimistic that enough adjustments can be made to fit the available funding.
“We can’t go forward with it,” said building committee chairman Bill McGrath. “We’re going to have to change the scope, and rebid it most likely. It’s pretty discouraging to go this long, and think it was in the bag, and it’s not.”
John Keenan of Keenan + Kenny Architects, Ltd, the Falmouth firm that designed the building and helped prepare the cost estimates, said he has never seen a bid come in so far over projected cost, especially considering that the added cost of building on the Island was built into construction costs.
“It was shocking, it was absolutely shocking,” said Mr. Keenan. “It’s a sign of the times. Everybody is so busy, and you pay a premium to build on the Island.”
Any delay in the planned construction schedule could throw a monkey wrench into the original plans. Town workers were scheduled to move into temporary mobile trailers this week, in anticipation that the current building would be demolished and the site prepared for the new construction.
The mobile trailers are already in place on town-owned property across the street from town hall.
Comments
Is this the same company that
John Gault Oak BluffsIs this the same company that did the Oak Bluffs library with such terrible results in my opinion.NOW because the bidding process has been rigged to only those who can make the ridiculous state standards here on the Vineyard again in my opinion. We have some of the best builders in MA here on the Vineyard it's truly a shame they are not allowed to bid. AND yes when you are the only one allowed to bid you can bid whatever you want to and get away with it in my opinion.
I agree we have some great
Curious MVI agree we have some great builders here! I don't know as much about this as you do obviously, but your accusation of this being rigged needs more explanation...at least for me. I always heard, maybe from people that were misinformed, that these big public projects required a bond. Insurance against the project not getting finished, and the taxpayer left with half a town hall and a lawsuit against a builder who was bust. The bar is pretty high to get that insurance, that bond, but I wish local builders could get one so they could compete! I am guessing the skyrocketing labor and rising material costs were mostly to blame. A poor town has a hard time competing against rich mansion owners wanting to expand their estates. It didn't help that the ferry service became unreliable, raising costs and margins for error. And it also didn't help that the voters needed assurances from the anti establishment planning board politicians...which achieved essentially zero changes other than wool carpets and natural wood floors. It stinks borrowing costs have jumped from insanely ridiculously low rates to just really good. I am all for local experts, builders and otherwise. Seems this indulgence in politics has cost plenty. Unless the goal for the obstructionists was this all along. Really, OB can't afford to indulge in a new town hall.
Mr. Gault, Your assertions
Steve Auerbach Oak BluffsMr. Gault, Your assertions are wrong. Scanlon is not the same company that built the Library. In fact, they built the new Fire House, which actually came in under bid. It's true that state standards are very high, which makes it difficult for Island contractors to bid, but to jump from that statement to say "when you are the only one allowed to bid" is just false. The building specs were sent out to a number of companies, but as the article states, the Massachusetts economy is very good, companies have lots of work off-Island so they are reluctant to come to MV, which adds additional complexity to any job that is undertaken.
Chilmark School. Tisbury
Peter West TisburyChilmark School. Tisbury Police Station. OB dodged a bullet.
Make that silver and gold
Dee BostonMake that silver and gold bullets. They don't care about the town hall. They just wanna get rich.
Harrumph! $9M for a town hall
MVNY OBHarrumph! $9M for a town hall!
Keep open to the possibility
Bert Oak BluffsKeep open to the possibility that the estimated cost of the project provided by the architectural firm may have been low and unrealistic to begin with and the bid provided by the contractor may actually be more representative of the true cost .
Not surprised
Mark OBNot surprised
10 million dollars Just to
Dee Stewart Massachusetts10 million dollars Just to build a town hall? Wow that's some money grab right there. I don't understand the appeal of this island and why rich people are ruining it? shame greed takes over.
You mean the rich people who
Michael OBYou mean the rich people who are never in the Vineyard when elections occur?
The rich people who didn't vote for a new town hall but have to choke up tax money for it anyway?
You mean the rich people who have absolutely no need for a 10 Million dollar town hall because they are here for 3 months a year?
You mean THOSE rich people?
For real.
May be time to think outside
Todd RebelloMay be time to think outside the box. The OB town Administrator is a pretty seasoned guy. Asking him to develope a process that could allow through town meeting approval a process to do this project in house. Hiring a clerk of works and other oversight from competent people could possibly get outside this restricted bidding process. The requirements today have become unrealistic to bring in any capital project financially within reason. We have very competent builders and tradesmen/women island wide to do this job. How did anything on this island ever get built without big companies coming in. Lol
Tisbury voters pay attention!
Really?! Vineyard HavenTisbury voters pay attention! In addition to tearing down another historic building that was built in 1880 (remember this has been a reason to reject the TIsbury school building battle cry), we should be planning on this kind of a price tag. Maybe we can renovate the existing building we bought super inexpensively and use local folks so we don’t face this kind of headline next year!
The building of a new, code
Abraham Seiman Oak Bluffs, MAThe building of a new, code-compliant Town Hall if Oak Bluffs is a necessity. However, the construction of the most expensive, eye-catching Town Hall was not, particularly with many other Town needs still unfulfilled. Fortunately, it may not happen.
How about a multi-lane Drive
Susan of OB West Hartford, CTHow about a multi-lane Drive-thru for Town Hall?? Like Dunkin Donuts, you can call ahead and schedule your time ...those who don't drive, a phone option. Get back to basics. Then the office staff can work in the space they are in.
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