Lakeville fire station contractor signed; start delayed pending Natural Heritage clearance and $15,120 turtle mitigation

Page Construction has an executed contract, bonds and insurance in place for the Town of Lakeville fire station project, but the contractor will not receive a formal notice to proceed until the state Natural Heritage program signs off on use of the site, committee members said at the Oct. 8 meeting.

Taylor, a town staff member overseeing the project, told the committee that the contractor and design team held a kickoff meeting last Friday to review responsibilities, change-order and request-for-information procedures and points of contact. "No turtles were found," Taylor said after a sweep by LEC biologist Brian Madden, referring to an eastern box turtle survey conducted to meet Natural Heritage requirements.

The finding clears one hurdle but not the final authorization. Committee members said Natural Heritage offered the project an alternative to land protection: a calculated donation to an eastern box turtle mitigation fund. The committee reported that the required payment is $15,120. Staff said they will place a recommendation for the Select Board to approve that payment on an upcoming agenda so Natural Heritage can release the site for active work; staff estimate Natural Heritagerelease could take roughly two to three weeks after receipt of the payment and associated reporting.

Contract administration details remain in motion. Staff said Page Construction has assembled subcontractors and is preparing to mobilize (clearing, fence installation, trailers and temporary power) but will not begin ground-disturbing work until Natural Heritage provides final authorization. The town reported it is finalizing a "conform set" of field documents and expects to submit permit sets once the last stamped drawings arrive. The planning department must sign the last set before recording at Plymouth County, and the conservation Order of Conditions for the site still needs to be recorded or returned to town staff for recording.

Utility and site coordination are also under way. Town fiber was located on the site and Green Rivers is evaluating relocation options to avoid conflicts with a new curb cut; staff said the goal is to splice and reroute fiber in a single-day shutdown where possible. Bids for waterline work were due the day after the meeting following an on-site walk-through. Staff also said they are working on proposals for geotechnical observation during footing and foundation work and for commissioning services.

The committee discussed federal energy incentives. Staff and engineering consultants are studying a federal energy tax deduction program referred to at the meeting as the "1.79d" tax deduction; they said further study is needed to determine whether the building as designed would meet the programthresholds relative to the ASHRAE 2019 baseline and whether using a third-party consultant to model the comparison would be fiscally sensible.

Natural Heritage procedures prompted earlier biological work: the contractor installed a turtle barrier and LEC conducted a sweep. LEC previously had a proposal for permitting and consultation for $6,500 and a not-to-exceed authorization of $9,000. Staff said LEC submitted a new proposal for barrier inspection and reporting of $4,500, and that the committee will place an agenda item at the next meeting to add $2,000 to the contingency line to reach an $11,000 budget line referenced in the meeting.

The committee approved three invoices by voice vote during the meeting. Votes recorded in the transcript are: - Approval of minutes from 09/10/2025: Sit forth, aye; McCullough, abstain; O'Brien, aye; Darling, aye; Conroy, aye. Motion passed. - LEC invoice #153578 (09/12/2025) for $416.25: voice votes recorded as Sit for, Call, Brian, Darling and Conroy (aye). Motion passed. - Secochio Associates Architects invoice #23083-18 (10/06/2025) for $25,840.11: voice votes recorded as Sit forth, McCullough, O'Brien, Darling and Conroy (aye). Motion passed. - Pomeroy Associates LLC invoice #23.111.0-18 (10/07/2025) for $10,483.20: voice votes recorded in the transcript (aye) and motion passed.

Staff told the committee MassDOT comments on the site plan are in final exchange and Spencer (town/design staff) expects responses or final approval between now and December. Committee members noted the contract form contains a typical 30-day window between award and notice to proceed; staff said extensions or schedule adjustments can be negotiated if Natural Heritage review delays the formal notice. Staff said Page Construction indicated they would begin work quickly once Natural Heritage clears the site, and that the contractor is prepared to proceed as soon as formal authorization is provided.

Operational items discussed for committee oversight included Procore access (an online construction management platform), clerk-of-the-works assignments (Neil Provost and Anthony Bonsica were named), and weekly construction working-group meetings proposed for Wednesday mornings. Staff recommended providing the committee with view-only Procore access for submittals, RFIs and daily photos and said final project closeout documentation will be downloadable from the platform.

A turtle-training session for site personnel is scheduled for next Thursday at 9:30 a.m.; staff said they will confirm whether the session must be in person or may be virtual. Staff also recommended holding the ceremonial groundbreaking after initial site clearing and early mobilization so equipment and staging are available for photos and logistics. The committee set its next meeting for Nov. 12, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the police station.

Notes on numbers and uncertainties: the committee reported the Natural Heritage mitigation payment as $15,120. The LEC cost history discussed at the meeting included a prior proposal of $6,500, a not-to-exceed authorization of $9,000 and a new $4,500 proposal; staff said they would put a $2,000 addition on the next agenda "to cover the 11" as stated in the meeting. The transcript contains these figures; staff indicated they will or have already clarified accounting entries in the project budget. For details that were not specified during the meeting (for example, which Select Board meeting will consider the mitigation donation), staff said they will place the item on the Select Board agenda and report back.