Middletown council approves subcontracts for new middle–high school and elementary renovations, funds from school improvement bond

The Town of Middletown Town Council on the evening of its June meeting approved a series of subcontract awards for the new Middletown Middle–High School and for renovations to the existing Middletown High School/elementary school complex, and authorized funding from school improvement bond proceeds.

Justin Bernard, senior project manager with Colliers (project managers for the school work), presented three recommended awards for the new middle–high school: Wilco Sales & Service for overhead doors and loading-dock equipment at $80,600 (against a 60% budget figure of $47,683); Johnson Lancaster Associates for food-service equipment at $1,195,800 (against a 60% budget of $1,347,187) with an optional alternate credit of up to $50,628 to be held pending design-team review; and Aladdin Electric Company for the electrical package at $19,462,522 (against a budget line of $15,087,978). Bernard told the council, “This does include 12.07% minority business enterprise participation and 2.77% of, women business enterprise participation.” The council voted to approve a resolution authorizing the town administrator to notify Gilbane Building Company to award the subcontracts and to record the expenses in the school department’s capital projects fund; the motion passed unanimously.

Bernard and Colliers also recommended awards for renovation work at the town’s existing high/elementary complex. Bentley and Colliers recommended Custom Drywall for the rough carpentry package (which includes drywall, patching and insulation) at $546,800 with a $50,000 owner allowance (against a 60% budget of $590,000); ESI HVAC for mechanical work at $479,400 (against a 60% budget of $591,012); Keenan Masonry for masonry work at $265,362 plus a $15,000 glazed-block allowance (total $280,362, against a 60% budget of $268,550); and Devnor Flooring for the flooring package at a base $383,000 plus a moisture mitigation allowance of $155,050 and major floor-preparation allowance of $115,950 for a total RTA of $654,000 (against a 60% budget of $465,000). Bentley and Colliers recommended holding most phase alternates until pricing and scope can be better defined. Bernard said Colliers recommends holding several alternates and that the alternates “need to be scoped out in better detail” before acceptance.

Councilors asked about price escalation protections for materials such as wire; Bernard replied that the contracts contain “no price escalation” clause and that bulk purchases would be done as soon as contracts are executed. For the electrical package Bernard said the trade proved volatile and that several scope upgrades (larger generator and additional transformers) contributed to the over-budget result at the trade level, but that the overall project remained favorable.

On the elementary renovation awards, town staff and the construction managers emphasized minority and women-business-enterprise utilization targets; the flooring recommendation specifically selected a higher bid from a certified minority business enterprise to improve overall MBE utilization on the project.

The council passed a single resolution approving the recommended subcontract awards for the middle–high school work and a second resolution approving the recommended subcontract awards for the elementary/high complex, both funded from school improvement bond proceeds and recorded in the school capital project funds. The town administrator was authorized to notify Gilbane and Bentley Companies to proceed with subcontract awards.

The project managers said they will return with further pricing and alternate recommendations at future meetings as remaining alternates are scoped and priced.