Like a stubborn Yankee, Harvard’s Town Hall has stood tall in the face of this harsh winter, and if it can hold on until spring, it may finally get the facelift and structural repairs it so badly needs. The Town Hall Construction Committee (THCC) went before the Board of Selectmen this week armed with new estimates, a conditional Certificate of Approval from the Harvard Historical Commission, and a thumbs up from the Planning Board. The committee expressed confidence that the project is on track to begin April 20.
Estimates look good
A new estimate from A.M. Fogarty submitted on Feb. 7 was lower than the October 2014 estimate used at Special Town Meeting by about $70,000. That allowed the THCC to increase the budget contingency from 7.5 to 10 percent, recommended by the owner’s project manager, Vertex. Bids from subcontractors are due March 4, and nine subcontractors attended the building walk-through earlier this month. “That’s a good number,” said THCC Chairman Rick Maiore. “Not everybody who bids comes to visit.” The bid deadline for general contractors was extended from March 13 to March 17 because some drawings had been inadvertently omitted from the bid package. As a result, the THCC will not have to open bids on Friday the 13th, which is a relief to committee members given the history of this project. Bids will be opened at 2 p.m. March 17, and the committee plans to bring its recommendation for a general contractor to the March 24 selectmen’s meeting.
Historical Commission approves, conditionally
The Historical Commission’s Certificate of Approval is expected to be drafted in the next few weeks, with two conditions.
First, the commissioners expressed concern over the aesthetic impact of the proposed ramp to the front door of the building, mainly the installation of concrete over the portico (the platform at the top of the steps). The steps up to the portico are granite, and the commissioners thought that the portico might also be granite, but the THCC confirmed last week that the portico is concrete. The THCC and HHC will discuss the ramp again at the next Historical Commission meeting on Feb. 25. THCC member Pablo Carbonell said that if the commission continues to object to the proposed ramp, then keeping the existing ramp to the side door could be an option, although that would alter the plan to remove the side door. The selectmen’s response to the side-door option was clear: The front door should be the entrance into Town Hall for everyone.
The second condition of the Certificate of Approval is for the THCC to provide more detailed drawings of the eaves and gutters at the gable ends of the building. Those drawings have been completed by LLB Architects and will be provided at the Historical Commission’s Feb. 25 meeting.
THCC member Jack Guswa told the selectmen that the Planning Board is satisfied with the site plan and does not need to do a site approval. Town Administrator Tim Bragan said that during construction, trailers will be parked in the back parking lot, and parts of the front parking lot will be fenced off, resulting in the loss of seven or eight parking spaces. Access to the small building that houses the vault will remain open.
Old library getting ready
Employee relocation week is set for April 13 through April 20. Town Hall will be closed that week as employees pack up and move to their new digs in the old library. Work to outfit the old library with the necessary electrical and computer capabilities continues. Water from ice dams damaged a rug on the first floor, and Bragan is working with the insurance company to get it replaced. On the top floor of the building, which will be used as the employee break room, the rug is in “terrible shape,” according to Bragan, and needs to be replaced, as does the sink.
To provide handicapped access to the old library while employees are housed there, a 61-foot-long black steel ramp will be leased. The ramp will start at the interior door, and the exterior door will be removed (and stored) to accommodate the ramp.
During renovations, meetings normally held in Town Hall will be held in the Hapgood Room on the basement level of the old library, and the room will be cable-ready to televise meetings. All access to the building will be through the front door, and alarms and video cameras will provide security for offices during nonbusiness hours.
