Lakeville committee recommends Page Building Construction after $11.717 million low bid for new fire station

The Town of Lakeville Fire Station Building Committee voted on Sept. 10 to recommend that the Select Board award the construction contract for the town's new fire station to Page Building Construction Company of Dalton, Massachusetts, based on the low bid of $11,717,000.

Committee members and the owner's project manager said the bid came in well below the project's original early construction estimate and that the low bids were closely clustered, a sign they said of a competitive bidding process. The committee's vote sends a formal recommendation to the Select Board, which the committee expects to consider at an upcoming meeting on Sept. 16.

The recommendation follows a multi-year project development process that the owner's project manager and architects described at the meeting. The project team said they prequalified 15 general contractors before issuing the bid package and received eight bids. The committee's cost estimate had been about $17.3 million in an early figure that included contingency, brick façade and a waterline; with those two items removed the team said the early estimate was about $15–16 million. The low bid of $11,717,000 prompted committee members to describe the results as favorable.

Alex Murphy, the owner's project manager with Pomeroy Associates, outlined the next administrative steps: the committee will forward its recommendation to the Select Board; after the Select Board votes the project team will issue a notice of award to Page; Page will assemble bonds and insurance documents; the town's contract review (including town counsel and the building commissioner) will review the insurance and bonds; and once contracts are executed the town will issue a notice to proceed and set a construction kickoff meeting.

Project staff said the team also plans to issue a notice of intent to award to Page before the Select Board vote to prompt the contractor to begin preparing bonds and insurance so the contract process can move quickly. The project architect, Kyle Robinson of Cochin Associates Architects, and the owner's team said they are preparing conformed contract documents and a complete set of drawings and specifications for construction once contract matters are settled.

The committee and staff discussed a likely site-mobilization timeline. Pomeroy Associates staff said the contractor could begin site setup and fencing roughly four to six weeks after the contract process concludes, with the team favoring a timeline closer to six weeks to allow for required pre-construction tasks such as natural-heritage mitigation and turtle-protection measures.

Committee members emphasized coordination on related work. The waterline that will connect to the building is being bid separately and must coordinate with the building contractor; project staff said MassDOT comments on the waterline remain outstanding and are expected to be resolved in coming months but will not prevent the contractor from beginning site work that does not require the road connection. The project team said planning-board and conservation approvals are in hand and that the site-plan decision is in the appeal-recording period with the town clerk.

Throughout the meeting members raised outreach and on-site communications. The contract with the winning bidder requires the contractor to install a site sign with a rendering and committee/board names; the building commissioner and staff reminded members to check local zoning sign rules before final sign placement. The committee also discussed forming a smaller working subgroup to attend weekly site or coordination meetings during construction and to rotate committee members through on-site visits; members said the working group will be set after the contractor kickoff meeting.

The committee's recommendation to the Select Board is advisory; the Select Board must vote to award the contract before the town executes a construction contract and issues a notice to proceed.