NORTH ATTLEBORO — Superintendent Scott Holcomb took time during Monday nights’ meeting to clarify to the school committee, and town residents, why the Community School roof repair project has been delayed.
Holcomb explained that the Municipal Building Committee (MBC) raised concerns that because contractors already have projects slated for the spring and summer months the town would have to pay a premium to get the roof fixed on the proposed timeline. A member of the MBC estimated that the town could save 10 to 15 percent of total construction costs by the bidding process.
“It’s not that we intentionally wanted to kick this project down the road and not do it right away, it was the potential of savings that we could benefit from,” Holcomb said.
The superintendent also wanted to clarify that control of the project is in the hands of the town.
A town by-law requires any municipal department seeking a building project valued at $75,000 or more to be under the jurisdiction and purview of the MBC.
Business Administrator David Flynn told the committee, in years past, the capital funds for a project of this scope would have been approved at town’s annual meeting in June, with construction likely starting the following June.
Due to the change in government on July 1, the town council did not approve capital funds until December, which condensed the time for the project to go out to bid.
Flynn added the town should go out to bid now to select the designer and engineer for the project even if construction does not start until school gets out in the summer of 2021.
Click below to see the discussion about the Community School roof:
