Earlier this year the Town had an estimate done by ATC, an environmental firm, for abatement of Bridge Street School (BSS). The cost estimate of abating the entire building came in at about $2M which was a shock to many because previous estimates done in 2013 were closer to $350,000.
In order to get a more complete picture of the real cost, the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for abatement and subsequently toured the building in June with four different abatement companies. The building requires removal of mold, asbestos and lead; there were no PCBs found. Two abatement companies, BesTech and AAIS accepted an invitation for an interview at the PBC’s Special Meeting on Wednesday, July 13. Both companies have extensive experience with abatement. The estimated cost to abate BSS, including construction contingency and oversight is expected to be between $300,000 and $400,00, well below the $2M cost estimate.
The next step the PBC has taken is to request an RFP for an additional construction estimate on the Bridge Street Community Center and Town Hall projects to confirm current project estimates. Final bids will be due back in mid to late August; then estimates will hopefully be completed by the Tri-Board meeting in September. The next step after this will be an RFP to hire an architect.
Residents are excited to see work begin on this project. Hopefully at the end of September the abatement contractor will be selected and abatement work will commence in the fall for both BSS and Town Hall.