Stafford Springs selectmen vote to issue $543,000 letter of intent to K&N Environmental for Witt School abatement

The Stafford Springs Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Thursday to direct staff to issue a letter of intent to award a $543,000 contract to K&N Environmental for hazardous-material abatement work at the vacant Witt School, town staff reported.

Amber, a town staff member who presented the procurement results, said the town received seven bids and that Weston & Sampson — the town—s environmental engineer and project inspector — recommended the lowest qualified proposer. "Their total base bid was $528,000 for the abatement portion, and $15,000 was the alternate for debris removal, for a total bid of $543,000," Amber said.

The recommendation followed reference checks and regulatory vetting, Amber said. She summarized Weston & Sampson—s memo, which noted mostly adequate-to-good references and capacity to complete the work; Amber also relayed that "one reference had a poor experience... noting [the contractor] failed to pay their employees," an incident the memo dated to about 14 years ago. Amber said the town contacted EPA project officers and received written consent to proceed with the contractor.

The work is funded through a federal EPA grant. Amber said the town's cleanup budget within the grant is $681,000 and oversight was estimated at $68,000; she also reported an additional $241,000 in funding from a CRAG RLF grant and a separate $1.3 million award for roof work under a different funding source. "Based on K&N Environmental's proposed cost, fully completed bid package, the supplemental information provided by K&N Environmental and various references, Weston & Sampson recommends that the town of Stafford do a letter of intent to award the contract in the amount of $543,000 to K&N Environmental," Amber read from the memorandum.

Staff outlined next steps and a public outreach schedule. The town will hold a community information meeting on Wednesday, June 17, at 6 p.m. at the community center, where Weston & Sampson's hazardous-building-materials specialist will review the safety plan and answer questions. Amber said contractor mobilization is likely in early July with a target "shovels up" date of Sept. 15; she warned that the town cannot incur any EPA-grant expenditures past Sept. 30, 2026.

Board members asked about local impacts. Amber said abatement is an interior phase (the roof is a later phase and funded separately), that a fence will surround the structure for safety, and that contractors included traffic and dumpster plans in their proposals so the park road is not expected to be closed. Selectman Tim Cromwell praised staff and consultants for meeting tight deadlines.

After the presentation, a board member moved to approve issuing the letter of intent; another board member seconded the motion. The chair called for the vote and the motion carried as recorded in the transcript as unanimous. The board then adjourned.

The public information meeting on June 17 is open to residents and will include a question-and-answer session about schedule, safety measures and neighborhood impacts.