Saturday, November 18, 2006
TOWN BD DISCUSSES LIBRARY BIDS
Yesterday, the Town Board met with the Commissioner of Public Works and with representatives of TRITON & the library's architect to discuss the status of the library expansion. We were advised that bids were over what had been estimated.The architect indicated that the bids were not substantially over budget estimates so the project can proceed without re-bidding/major delays. The architect is currently reviewing the bids and will recommend sometime in the next few weeks whether the low bids should be accepted. Design alternates (cutbacks in the project) are being considered to keep the library expansion within budget. The current estimate is that construction won't start until mid to late December of this year or early 2007. The construction should take about 2 years once work starts. For over a year I have called for a project manager to oversee the library construction. This expansion is currently about 7 months behind schedule (before the construction starts).
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5 comments:
I'm concerned about the small reserve-contingency fund in the library construction project. I worry that the quality of the construction will be poorer.
Can someone tell me how much the estimates are? and what not substantially over budget means?
I would like to know what the reserve was in the budget? Was it decreased to make up for the bids coming in high?
Can someone provide a link to what exactly the library is legally required to do, per the bond?
Apparently Mark Herman is unable to move my comments on the Library Bids which I added to the November multi purpose free-for-all.
The entry is about three-quarters into the current census and is, as usual, expository causing length.
The crux is that the project is already much less of a Library than was promised pre-referendum. By cutting back amenities and features, they are feverishly trying to stay at the $19.8 million.
However, they are still over this amount so this will cause another round of cuts and the application of some grant money which is paying for items that were supposed to be obtained from the $19.8 million but will now be paid for by taking in additional money which is being paid by, in part, by both Greenburgh's A & B residents when they pay their Federal and NYS taxes. Lunch is never free.
And, just to keep you on your toes,
no shovel has moved dirt yet so even these estimates are still estimates and the happy days of expensive change orders are still ahead.
When I said that the Library Trustees, Jacobs, Wolfert and Palevsky don't have a clue what to expect, it was not to be nasty; it was to alert both residents and the Town Council to the problem.
You can thank two of the members of the Town Council for not knowing about this, like not knowing about WESTHELP, when you vote next November. The two running next year on the deaf, dumb and blind ticket are Eddie Mae Barnes and Steve Bass. You'll just have to wait a little longer for the Liaison to the Library, Diana Juettner and Francis Sheehan.
Don't worry I'll remind you. Myabe the Library will even be completed by then.
"If we hold the Referendum in May (2005) we can start construction next Spring (2006)"...Library Board information session.
They may be able to start January 2007 just when it is to cold to pour concrete.
Don't worry, be happy.
I would still like to see the exact wording of the bond proposal and understand if the library is still in compliance with it. The questions I ask are:
1. Was there a cap on expenditures -- if yes what was it?
2. Just becasue the library can raise funds from the fed/NYS, does that allow them to spend more.
3. What exactly did they promise to do?
4. Does NYS have any construction/compliance rules, including reserves?
I did not save a copy of the bond authorization, but I think it said more than we will spend 19.8 million and build a library.
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