Council approves $625,800 HVAC award for Brick Market; lease with Historical Society adjusted and continued

The City Council approved a $625,800 award for an HVAC and related accessibility upgrade at the Brick Market building, the city‑owned space that houses the Newport Historical Society museum. Separately, the council amended and approved a lease with the Historical Society (correcting a clerical rent description) while delaying one related administrative item earlier in the meeting to allow additional review.

Councillor David Carlin pressed city staff for a detailed cost breakdown before approval, questioning why total costs for the heating/cooling and restroom work exceeded $600,000. "I just cannot fathom why it costs us that much money," Carlin said, asking for line‑item detail on equipment, labor, and site conditions.

Public Services Director Bill Riccio explained the procurement and bidding context: the RFP drew two bids in the second solicitation; site constraints, historic‑building work and complex mechanical and geothermal components raised costs. Staff said the first solicitation drew no bids and the later round produced comparable responses, with the low bidder at $625,800 and the second at about $744,000.

Supporters told the council the system will protect museum artifacts and the building’s historic fabric; one councilor noted the project had received competitive grant funding (discussed earlier in the meeting) and that rapidly obligating those funds is time‑sensitive. The lease resolution was amended to correct a clerical error — changing a stated "monthly" amortization to "yearly" — and then approved.

Carlin won assurances that staff will provide additional bid detail to the council after the meeting; despite concerns the award passed. The lease language and the HVAC award both moved forward: the lease was approved with the amendment; the HVAC contract award was approved by council vote.