Site work for a water / sewer project in Rutland, Vermont. Completed plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

https://www.rutlandherald.com/news/local/fair-haven-to-ask-town-meeting-day-voters-to-bond-additional-675-000-for-water/article_15d41016-e58c-11ef-9388-8fc92a0f2628.html Fair Haven to ask Town Meeting Day voters to bond additional $675,000 for water project after bids come in higher than projected By Keith Whitcomb Jr. Staff Writer Feb 7, 2025 Facebook Twitter Email Print Copy article link Save FAIR HAVEN — After bids came in unexpectedly high, voters will be asked to approve a bond for an additional $675,000 for a waterline project. “This project is to increase the waterline size on South Main Street as it crosses the river and goes to the south side of the town. And it also increases the size of the lines on Washington Street, near McDonald’s,” said Town Manager Joe Gunter on Thursday. The select board voted unanimously on Tuesday to ask voters for the bond at Town Meeting Day in March, following a conversation with Jason Booth, president of Aldrich and Elliott, a water engineering firm based in Essex Junction. Gunter said that voters approved a $1.2 million bond in 2022 for the waterline project, but the recent bids came back at around $1.8 million. A project’s cost rising substantially between the time the funding was secured and the time bids were opened is nothing new in Fair Haven, or the nation, as the cost of construction has been rising in recent years. Not long ago, Fair Haven chose to scrap a sand and salt shed project because the estimated cost had increased so much between the planning phase and bidding phases, and in 2023, Rutland Town had to ask its voters for more funds to cover the increased cost of its Public Safety Building. Gunter said the new bond question likely will appear on a separate sheet of paper with the normal Town Meeting Day ballot. If approved, the work would begin this summer. On Tuesday, Booth said this project has been put out for bid twice. The first time saw a single bidder, over-budget. The second round saw two bidders, both higher than the anticipated cost of the project. “The obvious first question is, and I know the answer already, what’s the possibility of this going down if we wait?” said Select Board Chair Bob Richards. “At this point, probably unlikely. I don’t know that anything is getting cheaper right now,” said Booth. He said the number of bidders seems to result in lower costs, but were this project to go out for bid a third time, he doesn’t expect a better outcome. Selectman Glen Traverse asked whether there are grants or subsidies the town can seek to get the cost lowered. Booth said the town has had an application filed with the Department of Environmental Conservation Water Investment Division for a year now just for that purpose. He said he’s had recent conversations with people in the division who say they’re working on it. The town might know more in a month or two. Traverse asked what the town is risking should it not go ahead with the project. Booth said that with regard to the south side of the project, the supplemental line isn’t large enough to serve the town’s water needs should the larger pipe break, or have to be shut down in case something happens with the Adams Street bridge. He said the state Agency of Transportation also plans to do a paving job over that area in 2026 so it would be best to get the water lines in first. For the north side, he said, the area is suitable for new economic development. The town could hold off on the project there, but it would lose in the end should that deter new development. Selectman Rich Greenough said it would be foolish not to move ahead with the project. Selectman Chadd Viger said the Airport Road waterline break is a reminder of how important this infrastructure is and he supports keeping it maintained. In 2023 the waterline on Airport Road broke, twice in rapid succession, leaving the town without water for a time. Viger said that, following that incident, he spoke to townspeople who said they would prefer the town’s resources go toward maintaining its key infrastructure, over things like downtown improvements. The other selectmen agreed. __________________________________________________________________________________ As of February 15, 2024, this project has not yet been awarded. A timeline for the award has not yet been established. The Project Consists of the Installation of 1700 Feet of Water Main, Water Services, Fire Hydrants, and Other Water Appurtenances. Project Includes a Bridge Crossing and Requires the Contractor to Utilize A Trenchless Installation Methodology Under Route 22a. Bidding Documents May Be Purchased From the Issuing Office During the Hours Indicated Above. Cost Does Not Include Shipping Charges. Upon Issuing Office's Receipt of Payment, Printed Bidding Documents or Electronic Documents on Compact Disk Will Be Sent via the Prospective Bidder's Delivery Service. The Shipping Charge Amount Will Depend on the Shipping Method Chosen. Funding and Project Procurement This Project is Funded in Part Through the Vermont Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Consequently, The Following Provisions Apply to This Work. 1. Bid Security in Accordance With the Instructions to Bidders 2. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (Dbe) Requirements 3. Performance Bond and Payment Bond Each in the Amount of 100% of the Contract Price 4. Ais (American Iron and Steel), Provisions of P.l. 113-76 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. 5. Baba (Build America, Buy America), Provisions of P.l. 117-58 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 6. Federal Wage Rates as Determined Under the Davis-bacon Act 7. Prohibition on Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services Equipment Question Deadline 01/15/2025