Middletown hires construction manager for Municipal Center roof; board approves $138,600 contract

The board authorized the township to hire Boyle Construction to serve as construction manager for the Municipal Center roof project, a management contract not to exceed $138,600. Staff said Boyle will administer pre‑construction through final closeout on a project that staff values at about $1,200,000; a $566,000 grant is expected to apply toward construction costs.

Eric Gartmeyer, who presented the item, said the construction manager will lead preconstruction, prepare bid documents, perform cost estimating and schedule coordination, oversee daily construction meetings and perform inspections during the build. "They're going to start from the preconstruction phase...there's cost estimating associated with it, scheduling, then the design, bidding, and procurement they're going to oversee," Gartmeyer said. Public commenters asked what guarantees the $138,600 fee provides and whether warranty or performance terms are included in the contract; staff responded that contract terms address responsibility and fallbacks to the firm if work is not completed as required.

Board members and residents discussed timeframe and cost containment: staff estimated a likely construction window of six months and noted construction management fees are typically a percentage of total project cost, a standard approach intended to reduce change orders and overall lifecycle cost. The motion to award the construction management contract to Boyle Construction, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $138,600 passed 5–0.