Major water, sewer projects get green light
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By David Delcore TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: May 27, 2009
BARRE – City councilors dished out nearly $750,000 worth of private contracts Tuesday night – most of it for utility work that must be completed in advance of a second wave of paving projects later this summer.
With work on the first batch of 13 streets slated for paving this season already well under way, City Engineer Reginald Abare urged councilors to approve a series of contracts for expensive water and sewer line upgrades that must be completed before five of the remaining streets can be resurfaced. Acting on Abare's recommendation, councilors accepted the low bids for each of the five separate projects, which range in price from $50,000 to more than $250,000.
Councilors awarded the most expensive of the projects – replacing 1,895 feet of eight-inch water and sewer line on Elmwood Avenue – to E.A. Grandfield Inc. of Moretown. The firm, which will have 60 days to complete the work, submitted the low-bid of $254,235 – well below any of the other four bidders.
The runner-up on the Elmwood Avenue project, United Construction of Newport, N.H., submitted the low bid for upgrading 497 feet of water line on Berlin Street between Railroad and John streets and replacing 470 feet of sewer line. United Construction, which will have 45 days to complete the work, bid $198,463. A central Vermont contractor – Hebert Construction of Williamstown – landed two of the remaining three projects. Hebert submitted the low-bid of $112,562 to replace 1,026 feet of sewer line and upgrade the water line on Prospect Street between Bailey and Berlin streets. According to the bid specifications that work must be completed in 30 days. Hebert will have the same window to complete a nearly identical project on Hill Street between French and Washington streets after the council accepted the company's low-bid of $108,832 for the work.
The contract for the final utility upgrade – replacing 535 feet of six-inch sewer line on Academy Street, was awarded to Duranleau Construction of Washington. That project must also be completed in 30 days.
Abare said awarding the contracts for the utility work now and establishing firm completion deadlines should put the city well ahead of schedule when it comes to resurfacing those streets later this summer. That was welcome news for councilors who persuaded voters to approve a $1.5 million bond issue in March that will finance an unprecedented number of paving projects this season.
Abare stressed none of that money would be used to pay for the $725,000 in utility upgrades. He said roughly one-third of that money – just over $250,000 – will be paid for out of the city's water fund and the balance – about $475,000 – will be paid out of the sewer fund.
The only other contract awarded by the council Tuesday night involved hiring two firms to complete plans to redesign Merchants Row and Enterprise Alley. ORW Landscape Architects & Planners of Burlington and Resource Systems Group of Burlington have been hired to complete the plans with an eye toward improving traffic flow, maximizing parking and making aesthetic improvements to the strategic stretch of road that runs parallel to North Main Street from Granite to Prospect streets.
The work will be financed with a $15,000 municipal planning grant the city was awarded through the state Department of Housing and Community Affairs earlier this year. The collaborative proposal submitted by ORW and Resource Systems Group was one of five received by the city, according to Zoning Administrator Michael Miller, who urged councilors to accept it.
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