Danbury Board of Awards unanimously approves seven procurement items, ratifies emergency magnet-school wall repairs

The Danbury City Board of Awards unanimously approved seven procurement measures at its May 7 meeting, including a custodial-services renewal, multiple vendor awards for water-treatment chemicals, a utility pickup truck purchase and the ratification of emergency repairs to a magnet-school retaining wall, purchasing agent Chick Volpe said.

Volpe opened the meeting at 10:06 a.m. and identified staff present from several city departments. On routine procurement items, the board approved: a custodial-services arrangement for the public buildings department formerly provided by Preferred Cleaning Services (previously $31,627 per month), a $17,544.24 purchase of various air filters under the MHEC cooperative contract, purchase of a 2025 Ford F-150 SuperCab for the public utilities department for $45,166.30 from Tasco Ford under the state contract, and multiple low-bid awards for water-treatment chemicals after the city received 16 bids.

On the chemicals, Volpe read itemized low bidders and unit prices as recorded in the meeting: alum (Chemtra, $0.1501 per wet pound), fluoride (Univar, $0.32 per wet pound), copper sulfate (Manera, $116 per 50-pound bag), sodium hydroxide (PGS/Minivolt, $0.1056 per wet pound), sodium chloride (Univar, $0.1713 per wet pound), glycolic acid (Shannon Chemical, $0.672 per wet pound) and potassium permanganate (Shannon Chemical, $2.23 per pound). Volpe said the combination of unit prices represents roughly a 7% increase in total projected chemical costs based on usage estimates.

The board also approved replacement of a sewer-truck water pump from Sanitary Equipment for $27,289 after staff said they solicited two competing quotes that were higher, and it approved a paving arrangement to have Ridgefield continue its Tilcon-contracted paving work onto the Danbury portion of Pine Mountain Road, estimated at $51,389; Volpe said coordinating with Ridgefield provided a cost advantage over having a separate smaller city contract.

On the final agenda item, Volpe summarized a May 2 site inspection after engineering services were authorized April 30 and said city staff observed movement in a retaining wall supporting an upper parking lot at a magnet school. "They determined that there's movement in this wall, which supports an upper parking lot, and then their opinion, immediate action needed to be taken," Volpe said. He told the board that staff engaged Hemlock Construction, an on-call awarded vendor for heavy equipment and crane/labor services, to begin emergency stabilizing work and asked the board to ratify the emergency declaration and contractor engagement. Board members said the city will return to the board with accounting and final costs once the scope and price are clearer. The board voted to ratify the emergency action unanimously.

All motions recorded on the agenda carried unanimously; in each case, the board approved the awards or ratifications and directed staff to file the accounting or purchase records as appropriate.

The board adjourned following the recorded votes.