With Harvard voters’ approval to fund replacement of the old library roof only a week old, the Permanent Building Committee met May 26 and, in a unanimous vote, authorized Gale Associates to begin the design work needed to prepare bid documents.
At the meeting, committee members ascertained that Gale’s 2019 proposal was still good, including its fees for design work and construction oversight. Gale associate Chris Musorofiti, who attended the meeting, assured the committee that the milestones in the 2019 proposal could be met.
Construction prices may be another matter, though. Musorofiti said trucking prices have gone up significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing material prices to rise. For example, he said, the pre-pandemic price of a two-by-four was $4; now those sell for about $12 each.
Committee member Steve Moeser asked if there were any optional items in the proposal that the committee might want to consider. Musorofiti said the only option not included in the proposal would be augmentation of the existing framing to meet the snow-load requirement for snows deeper than 18 inches. He said that it wasn’t a requirement for existing buildings, but the town could choose to add it. Moeser said he didn’t think that was necessary since the building survived the blizzard of 1978. Musorofiti added that framing augmentation of some bowed rafters is included in the project.
Musorofiti said work will start June 14, and Gale will provide a detailed schedule as well as a new cost estimate in the next few weeks. The end product of the design work will be 90% complete design documents, including specifications and drawings, as well as another cost estimate. When the committee is satisfied with the design and price, Gale will finalize the design documents so the project can go out to bid.
At a June 9 meeting of the Permanent Building Committee, Musorofiti said while bid responses would be due in August or September, there is currently about a 16-week lead time for slate orders. He suggested the town award the contract and work with the winning bidder to choose the slate as soon as possible. Construction cannot begin in the winter, so it would likely start in April 2022. Gale estimates three months will be needed to complete construction.
