Cheshire committee approves invoice payments and PCO credits; declines short-term vibration monitoring

The Town of Cheshire school building committee approved multiple invoices and change-order-credit items for the North End (Barnum) and Norton school projects and declined a proposed vibration-monitoring test requested by nearby neighbors.

During a lengthy consent and action package, the committee voted unanimously on a series of invoices and consultant payments covering design, testing, owner-representative services, commissioning and structural peer review. The committee also considered requests for project change order credits (PCOs) and a proposed vibration baseline measurement; members decided not to accept a one-time vibration test because staff and the change-order advisory group judged the baseline-only measurement would not resolve long-term complaints without continuous monitoring.

Votes at a glance

- Approved consultant/vendor invoices and payments (all unanimous unless noted): Eagle Environmental (environmental consultant) $1,075; Testcon / Test Pilot Corporation (testing services) $3,107; Tekton Architects (architectural services) $45,185.13; Arcadis (owner representative services) $5,838.53; O&G (construction manager) $13,923.85; Nacke Engineering LLC (structural peer review) $1,500; Testcon (Barnum testing) $181; Tekton (Barnum architectural services) $48,599.42; Arcadis (Barnum owner representative) $8,687.70; Owen Gade (construction manager services for Barnum) $9,439.80; Van Zylm Engineers (commissioning services) $957.60; Mackie Engineering LLC (structural peer review) $1,500; and other line-item invoices presented in the packet. (Motions moved and seconded; recorded as unanimous.)

- PCOs (change-order credits) approved (unanimous): PCO 001 — credit $7,210; PCO 002 — credit $17,427; PCO 003 — credit $5,151; PCL004 — credit $1,442. The committee approved these deductive PCOs, which reduce phase 1 contract values and roll funds back into the owner-side allowances or GMP reconciliation process.

- Vibration testing request: Testcon quoted $1,425 for a short-term baseline vibration measurement after neighbors reported window-rattling. Committee and staff (including construction management representatives) said a single baseline would not demonstrate damage nor prevent future incidents and that continuous monitoring would be costly; the advisory group recommended against spending commission funds on a baseline-only test. The committee took no formal change-order action to pay the $1,425; staff said further complaints would be handled by follow-up monitoring only if warranted.

Context and rationale

Construction staff and the change-order advisory subcommittee assessed the testing’s value and cost and concluded the baseline measurement would not provide a definitive remedy for neighbors’ concerns without ongoing monitoring. Construction staff added they were confident the compaction and standard construction vibration methods used on site were unlikely to create structural damage, though they acknowledged neighbor annoyance and said they would continue to respond to complaints and adjust procedures where reasonable.

What happens next

Approved credits will be applied in the GMP reconciliation and in state change-order paperwork where required. Staff said they will continue to log and respond to vibration complaints; if complaints persist and evidence indicates higher impacts, the committee could revisit monitoring options at a later date.