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Block Island board hears four bids for O'Brien 8-unit affordable project as sewer work begins
Summary
Board members confirmed sewer trunk-line work will begin and reviewed four construction bids for the Paul O'Brien eight-unit affordable housing development. The board formed a small subcommittee to evaluate bids and set a tentative Dec. 9 meeting to consider advancing trunk-line work onto the property.
Mark Maguire, presiding, told the Block Island Housing Board on Oct. 28 that contractor sign-offs were complete and that trunk-line work at the Paul O'Brien affordable housing site would begin the next day, including roadwork and a new manhole to connect the development to the sewer system.
The board discussed advancing the trunk line farther into the property now — installing capped branch lines to each of the eight buildings and one or two additional manholes — to take advantage of equipment already on site. Maguire said he will ask Bain (the infrastructure contractor) for contract language at the board's next meeting so the board can consider a follow-on contract to perform that work.
The board also reviewed construction bids received for the eight-unit project and agreed to form a subcommittee of three or fewer board members to examine the bids and recommend a selection to the full board. The board read the bids into the record as follows (amounts reported by the board during the meeting): Axis Construction Corporation (working with Signature Building Systems) — approximately $6,500,000; Kasana HVAC & Construction / Centimeters Franco Limited — $6,368,000; Affordable Custom Homes of Rhode Island — tiered options at $7,000,000 and $7,400,000; and JJ Cardosi Inc. — $4,464,710 (with upgrades the board estimated on the order of $150,000–$200,000).
Board members noted process issues in prior solicitations: two bids arrived by mail after the deadline but had been submitted by email before the deadline, and some previously interested firms (for example, Avalon and Connecticut Valley) stopped communicating. Members said the RFP had been posted on BidNet, the town website and announced in the Providence Journal. The board flagged potential gaps in bidder submissions — freight, HVAC or other scope items — and asked the subcommittee to scrutinize whether bids covered the general-contractor scope in full or left significant work as upgrades.
Maguire said he had reviewed infrastructure invoicing with the contractor and provided a spreadsheet format he wants used for future invoices so the board can approve payment requests more easily. The board discussed whether to authorize extra trunk-line work now or call a special meeting; members agreed to try to schedule a meeting in early December and to authorize a special meeting if necessary. Maguire proposed Dec. 9 at 4:00 p.m. as a tentative date.
The board did not take a final contractor selection at the Oct. 28 meeting; it formed a subcommittee to analyze the bids and return with a recommendation. The board also directed staff and the contractor to clarify the scope and cost details of each bid before any award.
