Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Quick Article Index . . .
Emil A. Fuller of Westport passed
away. He was 83.
Westport
school building committee (SBC) seeking bids for construction manager.
Westport
resident expresses concerns with new school building estimates, remediation
proposals.
Announcing
Spindle City Fest’s Featured Event: The Boardwalk Ramble.
Westport Rivers
Announces Sunset Music Concert Series For 2019.
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Emil A. Fuller of Westport
passed away. He was 83. EverythingWestport.com Friday, May 24, 2019
Born in Harrisburg, Penn., he was the son of the He was a communicant of Our Lady of Grace Church, Westport. Mr. Fuller was a member and chaplain of the
American Legion James Morris Post 145 of Westport and a member of the
Disabled American Veterans and the Vietnam Veteran of American Chapter #207
of Westport. Survivors include a daughter, Deborah L. Fuller, DMD
and her husband Brian D. Gaudette, DMD of Wakefield, RI; two grandchildren, Eric D. Gaudette and Alexa L. Gaudette;
a sister-in-law, Josephine Vieira of Westport; many nieces and nephews; and
his longtime companion and friend, Judith Souza. His funeral, to which relatives and friends are invited, will be
Wednesday, May 29, from the Potter Funeral Home, 81 Reed Road, Westport, at
9:00 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Grace
Church, Westport, at 10:00 a.m. Calling hours are Tuesday, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Interment will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Fall River. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: American Legion
James Morris Post 145, PO Box 1322, Westport, MA 02790. For directions or to sign the on-line guest book, please visit www.potterfuneralservice.com.
Westport school building committee
(SBC) seeking bids for construction manager. Painful
cuts may eliminate nonessential niceties but
“will not impact the educational programming at the school.” EverythingWestport.com Friday, May 24, 2019 Photos | EverythingWestport.com
Special to
EverythingWestport.com Emotions were running a little high at the May 22 meeting of the
Westport School Building Committee, as members continued grappling with the
puzzle of trying to cut at least $10 or $11 million in construction costs
from the bid specifications for the new co-located middle school and high
school to be built on Old County Road, where the Westport Middle School once
stood. That’s the funding gap between the $76 million project budget and all
three construction bids rejected by the building committee in early spring
for being too high. Now, the project management team and a building design
subcommittee are working on priority lists for potential changes in the bid
specifications that could substantially lower bid prices the next time
around. There were many areas of potential cuts – mostly changes in HVAC
(heating, ventilation and air conditioning), plumbing and electrical systems,
and reducing the size of the double gym – discussed at a lengthy design
subcommittee session before the full committee meeting. The list of
recommended internal redesign items will probably be voted on by the building
committee at its May 29 meeting, along with whatever external design changes
that may be added to the priority cut list. The one thing that all committee members, including Westport School
Committee representatives, faculty and staff, and community representatives
all agreed on was that no potential changes would affect the educational
goals set by administrators and teachers for the new combined junior and
senior high. Lead architect Jonathan Levi said he would recommend only changes
“that do not impact the educational programming at the school” be put on the
cut list. He also pledged not to endorse eliminating any “essential promises”
made to the public about community access after school hours. Building Committee Co-Chair Tracy Priestner once again urged fellow
members to remember their community promises, and keep the indoor walking
track in the school gymnasium as part of the final plans. The nearly $890,000
estimate for that feature has been mentioned by some residents as a good place
to start cutting. “Do anything necessary to retain that walking track, which we promised
to the public” when seeking community support to fund the new school,
Priestner pleaded. Building Committee member Jeff Wade said he wanted educators in the
system to review the education plans for the schools, and remind the building
committee “what’s untouchable” when it comes to cuts. The in-school child care center was mentioned as an important part of
the education program, for example, and not an added convenience that should
be eliminated. Changing the roof lines to eliminate a costly under-roof
network of catwalks is more the type of redesign work that the building
committee is encouraging. Whatever changes are made to the plans, Levi said the basic design is
sound, and at the end of the long, painful construction process, “we’re still
going to have a great building.” The architect added, “It’s just not going to
be as glamorous from the street... but it’s still going to be impressive.” Recommendations for early partial bids and other cost-cutting measures
will come this summer, with the potential hiring of a construction manager to
help the building committee revise building specs and work with contractors
on early bids for the initial parts of the construction effort. The committee voted May 22 to seek quotes from construction managers
and management firms interested in submitting bids to work on the Westport
school project through a Construction Manager at Risk (CMR)
consulting contract. Owners Project Manager (OPM) Dan Tavares
told the building committee that the alternate approach to the building
project would need the state’s Inspector General’s Office’s approval for
Westport to switch from their planned traditional “design, bid and build”
construction method. The CMR method would allow the town to hire
a manager or construction management firm to work with pre-qualified bidders
on small changes to building plans that could produce considerable savings, Tavares
explained. Dividing the project up into smaller pieces and doing them before
the main construction starts can also prevent price escalation, he noted. A five-member subcommittee was quickly appointed to review needed
qualifications and prepare specs for bidding. Advertisements seeking quotes
could go out as soon as the Inspector General approves Westport’s
application. Construction management companies usually charge around two percent of
project costs for their services, but Tavares and management team member
Frances Hughes think the town might be able to contract with an individual
for some limited services for under $200,000, Tavares said. Levi joined the OPMs in suggesting that the
building committee move forward with the CMR option
as soon as possible. Even as cuts are being planned, escalation of building
prices will erode those potential savings on the second round of bidding, he
said. Slowly modifying plans, getting approvals, and seeking new bids a year
from now will add millions in escalation costs, Levi said, noting those costs
were about $225,000 per month for this sized project. Westport School Committee member Nancy Stanton-Cross indicated that
construction and site plans were so far along that hiring a consultant for
the CMR building process should not be too
expensive. She suggested the building committee handle “the basics” of the
redesign, and let the construction manager get right to work on finalizing
the redesign effort. Levi is anxious for his design team to start re-drawing school plans
right away, but he was told to wait until the initial changes on a priority
list have been approved by the full building committee at their next meeting. The management team is pushing an aggressive timeline for finalizing
potential cuts and hiring a construction manager by the middle of July. If
new construction estimates can be done by August, final revisions to the
overall plan should be completed by September; some non-essential site work
could be contracted for through early bidding before winter sets in. Westport resident expresses
concerns with new school building estimates, remediation proposals. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, May 26, 2019 Letter to the Editor: I have many thoughts and concerns over the proposed new Westport school
building and process. The original estimated bids were $75 - 76 million; the
submitted bids came in at at $85 - $96 million. There are recommendations (by the SBC) in cuts floating around: HVAC - this is one of the most important items for the children’s
well-being. Proper building conditioning has been proven to be very
beneficial to a sound education. Having an up to date BAC-Net building
control system is also essential; Plumbing - if this were bid correctly, there should be nothing here to
reduce; Electrical - this should be to code; Reducing size of double gym; Eliminate the indoor walking track; Move school to the west; Leave tennis courts and library as is; Eliminate the open area between the two wings; Go back to regular style septic system; Use high school fields until and if the former campgrounds can be
developed for sporting fields; and “Changing the roof lines to eliminate a costly under-roof network of
catwalks is more the type of redesign work that the building committee is
encouraging.” Has the architect advised what went wrong with the biding process? The
architect “pledged not to endorse eliminating any essential promises made to
the public about community access after school hours.” We paid good money for these costs to be
developed and there is no excuse for the bids to be that far off. Somebody
fell asleep here. It seems like the recommendation is to hire a Construction Manager at
Risk (CMR) to work with pre-qualified bidders on
small changes to building plans that could produce considerable savings.
Isn’t this what we hired our current architect (and his estimators) for? The architect said, “basic design is sound, and at the end of the
long, painful construction process, we’re still going to have a great
building. It’s just not going to be as glamorous from the street… but it’s
still going to be impressive.” What
were the architect’s thoughts during the design phase, especially considering
architect’s vast experience? How could he be so wrong in these costs? If $10 - $12 million needs to be cut from this project, it will be
very hard to fathom that Westport will receive the same quality of a new
school that the community voted on. Maybe the School Building Committee needs to have some additional
members that have more experience in this type of major project. Don Davidson Announcing Spindle City Fest’s
Featured Event: The Boardwalk Ramble. EverythingWestport.com Sunday, May 26, 2019 FALL RIVER, MA -- The Narrows Center for the Arts is excited to
announce Spindle City Fest’s featured event: The Boardwalk Ramble. A festival
within a festival, The Boardwalk Ramble will take place during Spindle City
Fest on June 8th. Community members are invited to explore Fall River’s
waterfront while enjoying live performances from local musicians. Get out and
enjoy the fresh air, take in the sights, and groove to some live tunes!
“The Boardwalk Ramble is yet another way for us to make music and art
accessible to the community, while also highlighting the beautiful Fall River
waterfront and all it has to offer.” -- Patrick Norton, Executive Director From 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., groups of local musicians will be stationed
along the boardwalk. The Ramble trail begins at the Narrows, winds through
Heritage Park, and ends at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Bicentennial Park.
Attendees can enjoy a relaxing stroll along the waterfront, no matter which
end they start from. It’s the perfect way to kick off the summer season! A variety of local musicians can be found along the boardwalk, with
genres ranging from jazz and blues to rock and folk. The lineup includes
Colby James and the Ramblers, The Black Cadillac Trio, Tyler James (The
Silks), Mike Laureanno, The Southcoast Brass Band,
and more! A complete list of participating performers can be found on the
Narrows website. The Narrows Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit charitable organization continuing to present exciting ways to
engage the public, host one-of-a-kind musical guests, and showcase unique
works of art. Offering educational arts programming, local school tours, and free festivals for the community, the Narrows
proudly presents ever-growing access and fellowship in the arts. If you would like more information about The Boardwalk Ramble, Spindle
City Fest, or the Narrows Center for the Arts, please contact Meaghan Corse
by phone 508.324.1926 or email: boxoffice@narrowscenter.org
or visit their website at www.narrowscenter.org. Westport Rivers Announces Sunset
Music Concert Series For 2019 Sunday, May 26, 2019
The series begins on Friday June 14th and will run through Saturday
September 14th. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. the winery will feature live
entertainment as the sun sets over the picturesque vineyard grounds. Their
last two shows are on Saturdays in September are 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. June 21: Craig DeMello June 28: Gary Farias July 5: Ken N’ Donna: Livin’ the Dream July 12: Toph and Tom July 19: Mark T. Small July 26: One Bad Ant Aug 2: Gerry Dineen Aug 9: Butch McCarthy Aug 16: Wicked Undertow Aug 23: Dave Richardson and Jan Schmidt Aug 30: Jumpin’ Juba Acoustic Sept 7: J. Kelley Sept 14: Rebecca Correia Their store is open Monday - Saturday year round, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. - - - - - End - - - - - ©
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