by Bea Peterson
More than 40 people representing at least 20 firms attended the Bidders Conference at the Armory in Hoosick Falls early Tuesday evening. Members of the Hoosick Town Board toured the building with small groups that then convened in the meeting room. Many people took photos throughout the Armory.
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They were there in response to a Request For Proposal (RFP) sent out in mid-January. The request was for the bidders to devise ways to renovate the Armory to enlarge the Town offices and Courtroom, to make the building energy efficient and to include other uses for the remaining space as well. Costs of such a plan were to be compared to the cost of constructing a new Town Hall.
Councilman Mark Surdam introduced the other Board members in attendance, Supervisor Keith Cipperly and Councilmen Bruce Patire and Jeff Wysocki. He told the visitors that the RFP priority was to enlarge and improve Town office space.
A list of questions and concerns was distributed to everyone attending. Having reviewed the RFP, some of the bidders suggested the Town wait on any Armory abatement studies until the renovations have been laid out. Areas that are undisturbed, for example, may not need abatement. Costs for abatement of window putty, asbestos in the walls, old paints and varnishes and the oil tank can be very costly. Guesstimates ranged from $10,000 to $30,000, and could possibly escalate.
When asked, Supervisor Cipperly said the combined utility bill for the Armory for the previous full year was $54,000. Thirty-nine thousand dollars of that was fuel cost.
Some bidders felt that a construction management service was premature at this point. Perhaps a Clerk of the Works was all that would be needed. And, again, that was down the road.
The Board inquired about the cost of an elevator for the Armory. Again guesstimates ranged from $50,000 to $60,000.
The Board was asked where a new building would be constructed, if that became the plan. Surdam said it would probably be near the CEO building on River Road. That site would allow connection to Village water and sewer. There could also be shared parking arrangements. A new building could also be built closer to the Town garage, but that would require a septic system. Supervisor Cipperly also mentioned putting the building at the edge of the Town Park.
The bidders wanted to know if they could submit drawings and plans to the Town’s website provider. The Supervisor was not in favor of this. Though it did appear that something could be worked out so that people who did not attend presentation meetings could view the plans on line.
The bidders were also reluctant to take on the task of finding funding for the project as they felt the Town would be in a better position to find specialists to do this.
In response to questions regarding funding Surdam answered that they expected to use short term, then long term bond anticipation notes to pay for either the renovations or a new building. Again, in response to a question from the floor, Surdam said they anticipated a new building would cost in the range of one million dollars.
From the discussions at the conference, it is anticipated that most of the bids will state that they do not include hazmat, web or funding sections.
At the conclusion of the meeting Surdam asked where the bidders were located. Some were local; many were from the Capital District as well as Saratoga and Syracuse. Both large and small companies were represented.
Bids for the project are to be submitted to the Town by February 23. The Board will meet on February 29 to narrow the list of bidders, and they will be interviewing on Saturday, March 3. The final bidder will be selected at the regular Town Board meeting on Monday, March 12.[/private]