Council criticizes contractor as Thomas employee housing completion slips; occupancy date unclear

Town officials told the New Shoreham Town Council on June 2 that planned occupancy of the Thomas employee housing will not occur in June and that completion timing remains uncertain because of delays in electrical work and sequencing of subcontracted tasks.

Town staff and councilors described the last major milestone as completion of the main electrical service, which contractors told staff could be finished by the end of the week; once power is installed, the general contractor's remaining responsibilities include stairs, flooring, plastering, shingling and punch-list items. The council expressed frustration that exterior shingling remained incomplete and that parts of the building were exposed to the weather.

Council discussion identified contractual sequencing as a central issue: Connecticut Valley was identified as the general contractor responsible for finishing exterior and interior work after delivery; town staff said that, contractually, many subcontractors are now "owned by the town" (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) and that some finish work remains Connecticut Valley's responsibility. Councilors and staff said they were concerned about potential water intrusion and past mold remediation and asked for more frequent monitoring and mitigation.

Town staff said the manager's house could reasonably see occupancy around July 1 if remaining work is completed; the town will run its advertised application process for manager's-house occupancy and for other Thomas units once completion is sufficiently close. Town staff said they had solicited interest among New Shoreham police officers and learned that one officer might be interested; that would leave at least three units available to offer through the town's housing allocation process. The council instructed staff to proceed with the advertised three-week application period (which may be run concurrently across eligible applicant tiers) and to bring decisions back to the council.

Councilors said they had ongoing conversations with the attorney general's office about a restriction question (described in the meeting as a "2 versus 4" restriction) and that town staff and legal counsel were continuing that work. Multiple councilors expressed disappointment in Connecticut Valley's sequencing and urged staff to explore options to accelerate finishing, including bringing additional crews or arranging temporary weather protection to prevent further water damage.

No formal vote was recorded on contracting decisions at the meeting. Staff said they would report back on progress and confirmed ongoing coordination with legal counsel and the general contractor.