The contract with DiGiorgio Associates (DAI), the architect chosen to do the schematic design for Phase 2 of the Hildreth House renovation and expansion project, was accepted by the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) at its May 29 meeting, pending approval of two revisions.
The committee rejected the contract two weeks ago because it was incomplete and lacked detail, but committee Chair Cindy Russo said DAI made “a lot of changes” in time to meet the committee’s deadline of May 28. The group voted unanimously to recommend proceeding with the contract to the Select Board, provided two changes it identified are acceptable to the architect.
One of those changes was related to defining which town boards or committees DAI should meet with during the design process. The wording in the contract said simply “a Harvard representative,” but the committee requested an amendment to define that representative as the Council on Aging, the Permanent Building Committee, and other authorities as needed. In addition, Russo asked to add a provision that DAI “periodically submit plans for review and comment prior to the final version of the plan.”
The recommendation to proceed will be on the Select Board agenda for its June 11 meeting, and if approved, the Hildreth House Phase 2 Subcommittee will schedule a meeting as soon as possible with DAI to discuss what it wants included in the plan. A vote to fund the project is planned for Town Meeting in the spring, but time is running short to have a design and estimate ready for the first step to getting the project on the warrant—submitting a request for review to the Capital Planning and Investment Committee in time for its Oct. 3 deadline.
