Council discusses insulation for planned Morton storage building; staff recommends excluding it to protect contingency

During the March 4 meeting of the Watertown Common Council, Council member Miss Rolonar asked whether the planned Morton Buildings storage building would include insulation.

"Are we gonna insulate that storage building?" Miss Rolonar asked during the reports section. Mr. Burr, a city staff member involved with the project, replied, "I'm not planning on it at this time."

Mark, a public works staff member, explained the procurement background: "The original bid was to include insulation, but the Morton Buildings Company provided to us an alternate to exclude the insulation, just in case there was that, issue or desire to do so. The recommendation was to go without the insulation from me. Moss Brothers suggested that the insulation should be included, for the sake of, as Mister Ward mentioned, but as well to hopefully protect, if you will, some of the foundation work, the concrete, and the like. But, my recommendation was to not include it at this point, just because we're coming to the end of the project and contingency fund is a little bit on the tighter side."

Council members did not take a formal vote on the matter. Staff characterized the decision as a cost‑saving measure while the project wraps up and said insulation could be reconsidered in the future if project funds allow. Specific dollar differences between including and excluding insulation were not finalized in the meeting.