Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Building committee shortlists three firms for Fairfield school projects, sets May 18 interviews
Summary
The committee voted to shortlist Antonacci, Goranson and Silva Petrucelli for upcoming Fairfield school work and scheduled interviews for May 18 after debate over scoring, insurer compliance and firms' Connecticut experience; staff set RFP and submission deadlines.
The Fairfield building committee voted to shortlist three architecture firms — Antonacci, Goranson and Silva Petrucelli — and set interviews for May 18 after members debated how to weight presentation experience and noted defects in one submission.
The committee’s chair moved to go into executive session during discussion of individual firms’ qualifications; the body later returned and approved a motion to require presentations by the three named firms. A staff member reported that, based on the tallied scores available to the committee, “there is a very clear line in the sand” separating Borison, Silver Petrucelli and Antonacci (in the forties) from Rubinoff (scored below 20 out of 50), and recommended shortlisting three firms.
Members raised concerns about an out‑of‑town firm’s lack of school project experience and, specifically, whether a one‑person firm had sufficient licensed staff. Larry Kotchman, who identified himself after joining remotely, said he examined submissions and found the Rubinoff insurance certificate did not meet the revised requirements. “His insurance was Correct… Rubinoff was only 1,000,000, 2,000,000,” Kotchman said.
Staff outlined the procurement timeline: the RFP will be issued by Wednesday, questions will be due the following Tuesday (the 5th), staff responses will be posted by the 7th, proposals will be due on May 18 at 5:00 p.m., and presentations will begin at 5:15 p.m. The committee also discussed procedural safeguards — including not reviewing cost proposals before interviews — to avoid influencing interview evaluations.
Committee members debated scoring mechanics for the shortlist round, including whether to remove the presentation‑to‑state criterion (worth roughly five points) from the initial round and whether to reset scores so the interview carried the deciding weight. A committee member suggested, and others agreed, that removing the presentation criterion would put all candidates on an even baseline for shortlisting.
The motion to require presentations from Antonacci, Goranson and Silva Petrucelli passed by voice vote. No contract award was made at the meeting; the committee will evaluate presentations and fee proposals after the May 18 interviews.
