TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Should the Township Council give a green light to a proposed $5.2 million new DPW facility in September, the township’s architect said construction on the new building could likely start in spring 2025, nearly three years after the previous DPW facility was demolished due to long-term contamination from leaking fuel storage tanks onsite.
He said that if the project is bid out by the end of the year, the new DPW facility would likely be built by January 2026.
However, council president Michael DeSena requested in July that councilors be informed of the likely tax impacts from three proposed capital projects: the new DPW facility, an expanded police department at town hall, and new council chambers at the former ambulance building.
The three capital projects are estimated to cost: DPW facility ($5.2 million), expanded police department ($1.6 million), and new council chambers ($750,000).
DeSena also requested a 10-year capital plan with tax impacts to assist the council’s decision-making. (See “Call for roundup of town sites’ renovation costs, tax hits,” Michael Olohan, July 22, 2024, Pascack Press Online.)
At the Aug. 12 meeting, Mayor Peter Calamari urged the council to focus on moving forward with the new DPW facility, and DeSena told the council to prepare questions on it for the Sept. 9 session.
Anthony Iovino, of Arcari Iovino Architects, told the council in August that if they put out DPW facility bid specifications in November/December and receive bids back in early 2025 and award the contract, construction could commence by spring.
Iovino said that it was not economical to bid two construction projects at once, particularly the proposed DPW facility and the former ambulance headquarters’ renovation for council chambers.
He noted that if two projects were bid together, contractors might submit inflated prices on materials and labor costs since public contracts limit the winning bidder to their contract bid price. As taxpayers are well aware, contractors may submit change orders that drive up final project costs.
He said the DPW facility construction would include “a fair amount of space for construction staging,” including contractor vehicles, stockpiles of soil from excavation, material storage, and a construction safety zone around the building’s perimeter. With the former ambulance quarters next to the proposed DPW facility, having two concurrent construction projects ongoing “would be taxing on the site,” said Iovino.
He suggested that the project sequence should include, first, the construction of the DPW facility; second, the relocation of council chambers; and third, the police department renovation/expansion at town hall.
He said that preparation of the new DPW facility drawings was 35% complete in April 2023, a few months after the council approved a $195,000 contract with Arcari Iovino for services on the new DPW. At that point, he said, the DPW facility project paused.
Iovino said that if given the go-ahead, the architect could complete construction documents in several months and go out to bid in late fall.
In a July 31 letter, Iovino outlined his recommended timelines for the construction of the three projects, should the council approve them. He said that the DPW would likely be finished in early 2026 if the council moved ahead soon.
He added that the suggested timeline for the relocation of the council chambers included: preparing construction documents (January to April 2025); public bid and award (August to September 2025); and the construction period (November 2025 to May 2026).
“While this project would likely start after the completion of the DPW, it is possible to have some overlap once the bulk of the DPW project is completed. The proposed timeline allows for some overlap with the DPW (project),” wrote Iovino.
Moreover, he said, the last project to be completed should be the police department renovation and expansion at town hall, “since the current chambers would have to be vacated prior to this project.” He said a likely timeline included: preparing construction documents (July to November 2025); public bid and award (March to May 2026); and the construction period (July 2026 to February 2027).
Iovino concluded, “This schedule is fluid and likely to be adjusted based upon the progress of each project.”
At the Aug. 12 meeting, Iovino said he had provided “very, very preliminary costs” for renovations at the former ambulance headquarters’ conversion into new council chambers, noting he gave a “fairly wide range” of $575,000 to $750,000 for renovations.
He said, “We here in this room need back and forth on the design of that,” and more information is needed to give an estimate. He called the ballpark estimate a “placeholder” in a future budget.
He also said he was “very hesitant to give any kind of (updated) pricing” on the police department renovations. He noted that more information was needed on drainage and utilities that may need to be determined before a final estimate is offered on the police upgrades.
DeSena, an engineer, noted that, given supply chain holdups in various construction materials, including items such as cement, the timelines outlined by Iovino may be extended. DeSena said he hoped the council would vote to approve or not approve a DPW facility at the Sept. 9 meeting.
Calamari told councilors to email questions to him about the DPW facility so they could be answered by Iovino before the Sept. 9 meeting.