Brimfield trustees weigh options after up to $800,000 overrun on new fire/admin building; Glow Fest canceled

Brimfield Township trustees held a special meeting June 20 to discuss an estimated construction overrun tied to the township's new fire-administration project and options to shore up the general fund, including temporarily reallocating Job and Economic Development (JED) revenue and reorganizing staff payroll. Trustees also voted to cancel the Glow Fest event scheduled for this summer.

The discussion centered on a worst-case estimate of about $800,000 in additional construction costs related to the new fire and administration building, officials said. Fiscal officer John Danzel told the board the $800,000 figure was a maximum estimate supplied by the township's project managers and contractors and that the final number remained under negotiation: "The original project was the $8,500,000. There was a dollar amount out there that's thrown on the table of $800,000. That's not a not a final number by any means. That number is up for negotiation with the contractor, with the architect, and with QCI," Danzel said.

Why it matters: trustees said the overrun has strained the general fund at a time when salaries and benefits account for the majority of the fund's annual budget, potentially forcing the township to hold checks or shift costs midyear if no adjustments are made. Officials and department heads said they preferred steps that avoid cutting emergency services.

What trustees and department heads discussed

- Source and size of the overrun: Danzel and staff said the $800,000 estimate includes a March pay application of about $500,000 that is part of the total. Danzel and project staff said the project has generated claims and change orders involving contractor Rycon (sometimes transcribed as RICON) and architect Moody Nolan; project oversight and documentation by QCI (a project management firm) led to additional professional fees. Danzel summarized the situation: "We do not even know the number yet from QCI, Moody Nolan, and Rycon. The max would be 800,000. We don't think it's gonna anywhere near that, but we don't even know the number for that yet." QCI's billed project-management fees…