The New Canaan Police Department Building Committee on Jan. 9 received a detailed construction progress report on the new police station and approved a zero-dollar reallocation within the project's general conditions to fund additional staffing during the construction closeout phase.

The committee was told the project is largely finished inside and making steady exterior progress, but commissioning and final startups are stalled while the town waits for Eversource to complete a transformer relocation and provide permanent power.

Why it matters: The building is near substantial completion and the town is planning a phased move; delays in utility connection could push back equipment commissioning, occupancy-related work and the live cutover of phone and 9-1-1 systems.

Ty (staff member) opened the update noting recent milestones: "But, the big news is we got the mason finish on the exterior of the building... The big move with Grosso is we actually got the EMS area paved, on the February 19. And, so they're back in action," he said. He and other staff described interior finishes as largely complete — carpet, millwork and ceiling tiles are in place in much of the building — and said the site team is ready to install and start up mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems once permanent power is available.

Contractor representatives said progress on the flat roofs and shingles is underway and that the cupola and some slate courses have been installed. Scott (Turner Construction representative) reviewed interior items and emphasized that certain space-specific finishes remain dependent on heat: "The Sally Port gets an epoxy floor, so that floor has to be 65 degrees in order to put in the epoxy," a staff member noted during discussion.

Committee members and staff repeatedly identified the Eversource transformer relocation as the primary schedule risk. Ty said the town has paid an invoice and submitted title and easement documentation, but no firm hookup date has been given: "They gave us an invoice. Invoice has been paid... We're just waiting for a date." Multiple speakers warned that additional parts or scheduling conflicts after power is available could create further slippage.

Other site items reported:
- The overhead sectional garage doors for the sally port were installed and should allow the area to be enclosed and heated for epoxy work.
- Lockers, epoxy floors in lower levels, millwork deliveries and the security/forensics fit-out are in progress; elevator vendor Otis had a planned site visit to prepare a start-up proposal.
- Exterior paving crews were scheduled to place the binder course as temperatures briefly rose; light bollards, sidewalks and subbases were reported in place pending final transformer removal.

Budget and schedule: The project financial update described higher-than-expected man-hours in recent months but lower invoice amounts for the period (the report anticipated a large billing month approaching). Staff gave a high-level projection that the next three months will see continued spending tied to final construction and soft costs. Ty summarized near-term cash-flow expectations as: "About 2,000,000 [for January], about under a million for February," and estimated roughly $3,000,000 of work remaining on the schedule (figures were presented as projections by staff).

Staffing and contract administration vote: The committee considered a written clarification from the owner-side project team that interprets the original contract language to allow transfers between line items grouped under "general conditions" and "general requirements." The purpose is to move existing budgeted funds within that grouping to pay for additional Owner/Construction Administration staffing brought in to manage coordination during the most intensive closeout period.

Jean (town staff member) described how the contract treated the general conditions and general requirements as a grouped, not-to-exceed amount and explained monitoring and limitations: "When we wrote the contract... we locked this in as a not to exceed amount... If they exceed the total general conditions of general requirements, it comes out of Turner's pocket. So we are monitoring that."

The committee then moved to amend the agenda to take a vote and approved the reallocation. Motion (as read at the meeting): "To allow transfers of line items within the general conditions/general requirements grouping to fund additional staff requirements for the project." The motion was seconded and approved by the committee; meeting discussion and staff documents clarified that the transfer is a zero-dollar change to the GMP and does not adjust the construction contingency or the guaranteed maximum price.

Other items and next steps: Committee members asked staff to seek a firm hookup date from Eversource and to coordinate the scheduling for commissioning, phone/911 cutover and dispatch moves. Brian (town staff member) and other staff were asked to return to the committee with options and cost estimates for a few open aesthetic decisions (column covers for the rear canopy) and with timelines for the remaining specialized items (skylight delivery, decorative railings and the EOC/video wall approach). Ty and Scott characterized the near-term target as securing a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) and completing the punch list; staff continued to target a June 30 window for vacating the interim leased space, with the move-in sequence and 9-1-1 cutover to be scheduled around permanent power and equipment commissioning.

The committee did not cite any new ordinances or statutes during the discussion. No dissent was recorded on the staffing reallocation vote.

The committee will next seek a hard date from Eversource for permanent power and will return with refined commissioning and move schedules once that date is set.