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Committee defers decision on $1.26M demolition proposal for old Town Hall; explores using leftover project savings
Summary
Contractor submitted a change order of about $1.261 million to demolish and rebuild parts of the old Town Hall; the committee agreed to have engineers and Vertex review the proposal and to consider shifting unspent funds from current projects through a town-meeting warrant rather than act immediately.
The Permanent Building Committee reviewed a contractor change-order proposal estimating roughly $1.261 million to demolish and rebuild elements of the existing Town Hall and relocate affected functions. Steve presented the PCO and described the large scope and complexity of demolishing an occupied building while maintaining critical town infrastructure.
Why it matters: Demolition and rebuild decisions would affect capital budgets, procurement timelines and the schedule for moving municipal services; the potential work raises asbestos/lead, accessibility and communications complications that could extend schedules and add costs.
Members noted the contractor has requested a nine-week no-cost time extension (to Sept. 6) and that the town hall move is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 16–18, contingent on final inspections and issuance of a certificate of occupancy. The committee discussed potential timing conflicts with the November election and the town court’s concern about moving a T1 communications circuit before the primary. One member said the state must "flip" the circuit and advised the select board to pursue political pressure through representatives if an earlier change is required.
The committee reviewed project finances: roughly $1.15 million remained across the town hall and senior center budgets before accounting for the demolition PCO. Members discussed using leftover savings and placing a transfer on the October town meeting warrant to fund demolition rather than reallocating funds immediately. The PCO includes additional engineering needs—re-engineering antenna guywires, addressing accessibility in the old fire department area and potential hazardous-material remediation—so members recommended adding a contingency and having the engineers and Vertex evaluate the full PCO details.
No approval was given. Committee members explicitly agreed to table any decision until Vertex and the town engineers evaluate the contractor’s proposal and provide a more detailed scope and cost assessment. The committee expect to revisit the matter at the next meeting once that review is complete.
What’s next: The contractor’s PCO will be reviewed by Vertex and town engineers for scope, hazardous-materials risk and schedule impact. The committee instructed staff to prepare a summary of available project savings and a proposed warrant article for the October town meeting if funds need to be transferred to cover demolition work.
