FARMINGDALE — The town has a plan for its new fire station and is ready for a new batch of bidders.
At their meeting Wednesday, selectmen finalized the plans and approved $3,300 in additional money for Waterville-based engineers A.E. Hodsdon to update the fire station contract. They plan to put the project out to bid on Monday.
Some changes to the project also were approved, which will save $43,650 in construction and engineering costs. Residents thought the plans were too expensive in December 2018, but they approved $1.7 million in funding for it.
More funding for the engineers was necessary because the second bid process would be an addition to their original contract with the town.
“It is above and beyond the contract,” Selectboard Chairman Jim Grant said. “We’re asking them to do the (bid) process all over again.”
The change eliminates a proposed driveway from the station to Second Street. The estimated savings are $58,750, but an additional $6,800 in fill and riprap would be needed for the open space. The redesign and rebid of the project would cost a total of $8,300, bringing the potential net savings to $43,650. This change was floated by Selectman Wayne Kilgore earlier this month.
Selectmen also scheduled a pre-bid meeting with contractors for Feb. 11. Bids will be opened at a special meeting of the board on Feb. 27, and a final decision on a contractor probably would be made at the next regular board meeting, which is scheduled for March 6.
Town Clerk Rose Webster said she would send an advertisement to a list of contractors the town has on file, as well as advertise it through the Maine Municipal Association.
Financing for the building was finalized two weeks ago when selectmen accepted Kennebec Savings Bank’s loan offer based on a 4.29 percent interest rate. The town was looking to secure funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the government shutdown complicated the process.
In 2017, voters approved up to $1 million in funding for a new station next to Gosline’s Hardware on Maine Avenue. That funding was never secured because it was insufficient to cover the cost of bids received in September 2018. The bids — all of which were rejected in October 2018 — ranged from $1,543,000 to $1,776,651. Selectman and engineers said skyrocketing material prices were to blame for the high bids.
Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
Twitter: @SamShepME
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