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Burrillville awards Harrisville Mill Pond dam rehabilitation contract at just over $3 million
Summary
After a five-year bidding process, the council awarded the Harrisville Dam rehabilitation contract to Sunco EcoContracting at a bid price of $3,018,420; DPW director said work should start later this summer and the town will fund the project from the Harrisville Dam Fund.
The Burrillville Town Council voted May 28 to award the Harrisville Mill Pond dam rehabilitation contract to the lowest bidder, Sunco EcoContracting of Pembroke, Mass., with a bid price of $3,018,420.
Jeff McCormick, director of public works, told the council the town solicited bids over five years and received proposals ranging from roughly $3 million to $7.5 million. He said the town’s engineer, Pare (PAR), reviewed the low bid and that the contractor has prior experience on local projects. "We've finally done it after five years," McCormick said, summarizing the procurement.
McCormick described a key technical complication: reestablishing a low-level sluice-orifice that had not functioned for many decades. Restoring that component, he said, will allow the town to lower the pond as much as 13 feet for future maintenance. The planned construction includes a sheet-pile wall and a concrete outlet structure intended to preserve the site’s granite appearance while improving flood control and outlet management.
The council had questions about timing and long-lead items; McCormick said the contractor has already ordered the gate manufacturer’s items and a preconstruction meeting will set a construction schedule. He anticipated work starting later this summer, subject to final scheduling.
The council motion directed that funding come from the Harrisville Dam Fund (Fund 2330). The motion to award bid number 25-007 was moved by Councilmember Anderson and seconded by Councilmember Battelon; the motion passed on a voice vote. Several council members thanked DPW and engineers for the multi-year effort.
Council members noted the project’s cost increase from earlier estimates and attributed part of the rise to COVID-era delays and supply-chain impacts. McCormick said the town applied for grants during the process but did not receive sufficient grant funding; the town is using the dam fund and an infrastructure loan program to move forward.
The council asked DPW to coordinate with residents along the mill pond about timing; McCormick said conservation volunteers have already helped clean shoreline areas and lowering the pond temporarily may allow additional cleanup.
