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State bridge schedule and new recreation grant shape Andover capital planning
Summary
Town officials said the state moved up the Long Hill Bridge replacement to April 2026, prompting the town to delay a Lake Road bridge project; the town also secured a two‑year legislative grant of $250,000 per year for recreational field improvements and plans to use the Capital Region COG EZIQC procurement program for construction.
Eric, the town administrator, told the Board of Finance the Connecticut Department of Transportation has advanced the Long Hill Bridge replacement to begin April 2026. He said the town will delay the Lake Road bridge replacement by a year to avoid managing two major projects at once.
Eric also reported the town received a legislative grant totaling $250,000 per year for two years to help pay for recreational‑field improvements. He said the town had secured additional smaller grants from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
For the upcoming recreational field work the town plans to use the Capital Region Council of Governments’ EZIQC (easy IQC) program — a cooperative procurement that pre‑bids unit prices across many construction categories and allows towns to select quantities and contractors more quickly. Eric said using EZIQC will reduce the town’s project management burden even if overall contractor costs are higher than using in‑house labor, and that the program has worked on previous projects.
Eric also noted employee turnover in public works and senior transportation drivers is limiting the town’s capacity to self‑manage larger construction work; that staffing constraint contributed to the decision to use EZIQC and to delay overlapping projects.
Board members agreed the grant funding and procurement path would help move the recreation project forward, and discussed timing for contracts and state approvals.
