Selectmen asked to bid two public safety buildings
By Caitlyn Kelleher Journal Staff Reporter

The president of the Ashburnham Firefighters Association asked the Board of Selectmen to bid both the redesign of the public safety building and the originally designed building this winter.

Rick Sicard approached the selectmen at their meeting on Dec. 4 after talking with the Public Safety Building Committee on Nov. 30.

"Our biggest concern is the rumor that we may have to go for another override," Sicard said.

The proposed redesign of the project is expected to go out for bid at the end of January, said Selectman Christopher Gagnon, the chairman of the building committee.

At this stage it appears more money will not be needed for the redesigned project, he said.

The first estimate showed construction costs to be about $500,000 over budget, he said. It was suggested the extra money could be either found in financing options or within existing funds.

The extra funding for the building's original design lost at the ballot box in March.

The redesigned building is proposed at 21,400 square feet and has some vinyl siding on the front exterior instead of a completely brick facade.

"This is a simpler designed building," Gagnon said.

Board Chairman Jonathan Dennehy asked Sincard what has been left out of the new design.

"I see it meeting the needs of the department for now," said Sicard. He added the proposed building would not meet the needs for the next 20 to 30 years.

Sicard said some construction costs have changed since the spring and this would give voters a chance to decide - if an extra tax increase is needed - which building they want to spend more money on.

"So both buildings could be compared apples to apples," he said. "So the townspeople could decide what could be done."

Resident Ed Vitone said that even if the old design isn't rebid some comparison should be available.

Sicard agreed to wait until the cost estimate comes back around the end of December before he asked town officials to make a decision.

Gagnon said the committee will be making its next set of decisions based on the cost estimate.

"I'd just caution you might be able to the put the scarf on the hook but not your hat," Carlisle said.

Sicard also requested that a separate bid be requested for only the apparatus bay.

"My primary concern is getting at least a garage," Sicard said. "The way our luck has been going it's not going to get done."

The trucks have been in the old light plant building, which is owned by Cushing Academy, since Central Station was deemed unstable after fire destroyed the nearby hardware store in January 2004.

The selectmen agreed there should be no problem with issuing a second bid request, but Gagnon emphasized that he thought the building would be built this time.

Carlisle said he'd like to see the portion of the bid regarding the apparatus bay separated from the rest of the building bid. "We've well overstayed our welcome at Cushing," he said.

He said some type of a building for the trucks should be up by summer or fall.

The building committee also supported the idea of a separate bid. Police Chief Loring Barrett, a building committee member, said there might be problem with only building the apparatus bay because all the utilities are supposed to be fed through the main building.

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Caitlyn Kelleher can be reached at (978) 827-3386, ext. 14, or e-mail: editor@thecommunityjournal. com