By Sarah Opdahl

At the Tuesday, August 11 New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee (PBC) meeting, members approved going out to bid on the bus lot project, which will be built at 302 Ball Pond Road. The PBC was previously waiting for a Memorandum of Understanding from the Department of Transportation (DOT) before going out to bid, but it was noted at this meeting that the state said to go ahead with the bidding process, prompting the vote. PBC members expressed relief to be at this point in the process, as the delays will continue to mount when colder weather hits.

There was a brief discussion about whether the PBC wanted to bid off the state bid list and whether the logistics should be coordinated under Town Engineer Mr. Tony Iadarola’s office. They agreed that JCJ Architecture’s Ms. Christine O’Hare will work with Iadarola, while simultaneously working to obtain a quote through the state bid list. O’Hare has also submitted for a “new prevailing wage.” The drawings were briefly discussed, including whether to potentially reduce the size of the specifications. However, PBC members recognized the need to have a more detailed specification rather than trying to reduce the quantity of stipulations.

First Selectman Ms. Pat Del Monaco added that the PBC will receive  a “project agreement letter,” which is important, “because this grant came from the earmark process out of the state legislature, it’s for a specific and limited purpose.” She went on to say that the letter, “will simply state that we were granted $1.72 million dollars for construction of a school bus lot, and DOT typically does not administer grants to municipalities other than through the COG process…”

O’Hare asked Colliers International’s Mr. Mark Schweitzer to talk with the Town’s purchasing staff about “what date they want for the walkthrough, when we want bids due, and also to just check the duration of the schedule of the projects to see if we need to adjust that.”

The fire tanks that are leaking at the pipes at New Fairfield Elementary School were again reported on. Schweitzer explained that the installers will “drill holes in the link seals and install ports. The polyurethane grout will then be pumped in using a high-pressure pump. The polyurethane grout is pumped in until refusal. Polyurethane seals the hole in the link seals and MAPEI cementitious grout is then applied to the face of the link seal to seal the annular space between the pipe and the wall penetration.”

There was a brief update on the future New Fairfield Free Public Library renovation project when Mr. David Zeh reported that a draft Request for Proposal was created and is being reviewed by key stakeholders at the library and PBC members.

For a portion of the meeting, there was an Executive Session held for the purpose of discussing potential litigation regarding the extensive propane failures that New Fairfield High School has experienced since opening in 2023.

The next regular New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, 7:30 p.m.