The Hildreth House design team is holding its breath, hoping that the first cost estimate for renovations set to begin in late spring will not force cuts in the project. LLB architect Aimee Lombardo presented design documents to the team at a March 3 meeting, and engineering consultant A. M. Fogarty and Associates is using those same documents to prepare a cost estimate. The estimate will be presented to the design team at its next meeting, March 17. Last year’s Town Meeting voted to appropriate $1.36 million for the project, which includes safety, accessibility, and site improvements.
After reviewing the plans with Building Commissioner Gabe Vellante, Lombardo said that full accessibility compliance will be required throughout the building. She explained that since the cost of accessibility improvements will be higher than 30 percent of the building’s assessed value, the project will trigger full compliance with Massachusetts Architectural Access Board regulations.
But improved exterior access to the building is already in the design, so the additional cost to make the inside fully accessible is not expected to be high. There are about seven room entrances that need to be widened, and those entrances will need new doors, door handles, and wheelchair-accessible thresholds. Lombardo estimated that each entrance will cost no more than $3,000.
In addition, changes will need to be made to the handrail on the main stairway; the old soapstone sink in the kitchen will have to be replaced; and a code-compliant cooktop will have to be added. Design team member Connie Larrabee said that the Council on Aging has already received donations to purchase new appliances, and those donations will help cover much of the kitchen costs.
The house has not yet been checked for hazardous materials, but Lombardo said that engineers will conduct an exploration in the next few weeks to look specifically at the plaster in the exterior wall and the insulation around ducts.
The project was expected to go out to bid by the end of March, but Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro told the team that it should get a second cost estimate, which could delay the bid process by another two weeks.
