Cheshire Town Council Awards $7.2 Million Bartlett Park South Contract to Dorita and Sons

Town Council · Meeting of March 7, 2023

CT CHESHIRE — Cheshire Town Council unanimously awards $7.2 million Bartlett Park South construction contract to Dorita and Sons. The council voted 9-0 Tuesday to award Dorita and Sons Construction Company, Inc. the Phase 1 contract at a base bid of $6,341,700 plus an $886,000 alternate for the bandshell's vertical components, capping more than three years of design and planning. Town Manager Sean Milone told the council that total project funding stands at $8.15 million — a voter-approved $7.9 million capital appropriation plus a $250,000 state grant — leaving the town roughly $320,000 short of fully covering costs with contingency, and identified approximately $2.85 million in unallocated ARPA funds as a backstop.

Town Attorney Jeff D'Onofrio disqualified apparent low bidder Pioneer Builders of Newington, whose base bid was $5,999,075, after finding the firm held an expired DAS pre-qualification certificate, a reduced $6 million single-project limit for the current period, and no pre-qualification in site work — the dominant scope of the contract. Construction fencing is expected to begin going up at the south side of the park within a month, with an 18-month construction window targeting late-fall 2024 completion.

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Source: the Town Council meeting of March 7, 2023, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

CHESHIRE — March 7, 2023 — The Cheshire Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to award the Bartlett Park South Phase 1 construction contract to Dorita and Sons Construction Company, Inc., at a combined value of roughly $7.2 million covering both the base project and a bandshell alternate.

The base bid of $6,341,700 and an alternate bid of $886,000 for the bandshell's vertical components together represent the culmination of more than three years of design, public referenda, and bidding. Town Manager Sean Milone and consulting engineer Ryan Chmielewski of Weston and Sampson presented the recommendation to the full council. The council also briefly rescheduled its upcoming public budget hearing from March 23 to March 22.

The Full Story

The council opened its meeting by unanimously moving the public hearing for the fiscal year 2023-2024 general operating budget, the water pollution control department fund operating budget, and the community pool fund operating budget from March 23 to March 22 at 6 p.m. One member noted he would be recovering from knee surgery and could not attend on either date, but said the meeting should proceed regardless.

The main business of the evening was the Bartlett Park South Phase 1 contract award. Milone told the council that voters had approved a capital appropriation of $7.9 million for the project, to which the state subsequently added a $250,000 grant, bringing total available funding to $8.15 million. Weston and Sampson's design fees of $520,000 and the combined bid of $7,227,700, plus a 5 percent contingency of approximately $361,000 and an estimate for construction oversight still under negotiation with Weston and Sampson, left the town roughly $320,000 short of fully funding the project with contingency included.

Milone recommended proceeding with both the base bid and the bandshell alternate, citing flexibility from approximately $2.85 million in unallocated ARPA funds as a backstop should anticipated state gap funding not materialize before construction begins. He said the town's bond counsel and Finance Director Jim Jaskot had confirmed that approach was permissible.

Before the vote, Town Attorney Jeff D'Onofrio walked the council through why the apparent lowest bidder, Pioneer Builders of Newington, had been disqualified. Pioneer submitted the lowest base bid of $5,999,075 but was found to hold an expired Department of Administrative Services pre-qualification certificate, a reduced single-project limit of $6 million for the current certificate period, and no DAS pre-qualification in site work — the dominant scope of the contract. D'Onofrio said Pioneer's list of completed projects also failed to demonstrate sufficient experience with work of comparable scope.

"The town's obligation is to award a contract to the lowest responsible qualified bidder. So that's three different terms. Lowest, we all know, is simply a mathematical calculation." [no timestamp index supplied] — Jeff D'Onofrio, Town Attorney

D'Onofrio then reviewed Dorita and Sons' bid and found the firm to be a DAS-pre-qualified site work contractor with comparable project experience, and declared them the lowest responsible qualified bidder.

Council member Don Walsh said he had reviewed Dorita and Sons' portfolio and was satisfied with their qualifications. Council member David Veleber asked about the timeline for visible construction impacts, and Milone said construction fencing could go up within a month along the south side of Bartlett Park's entry drive, past the gravel lot and around the skate park area. He noted the first softball field closest to Route 10 should remain usable but with outfield fencing. An 18-month construction window was cited, with completion expected in late fall 2024.

"I think the public is going to start seeing some of the facilities be sort of torn up and fenced off sooner rather than later." [no timestamp index supplied] — David Veleber, Town Council member

A representative identified in the discussion as John, who served on the project subcommittee alongside council members Talbot and Veleber, offered remarks about field scheduling. He said meetings had been held with youth baseball and softball organizations, that game fields had been turned over at Highland, Dodd upper softball, and Doolittle School, and that Darcy and Chapman fields were being prepared for younger age groups displaced by construction. Youth lacrosse losing Simmons Field would double up at Dodd lower, with Cheshire Youth Soccer offering overflow space at Quinnipiac.

Following those remarks, Chair Peter Talbot called the vote.

Why It Matters

The Bartlett Park South Phase 1 award is the largest single construction contract in the multi-year park improvement effort and represents the direct delivery of a project voters approved at referendum. Residents using the south side of Bartlett Park will begin to see access restrictions and field closures within weeks as Dorita and Sons mobilizes. The bandshell's inclusion in the same contract avoids a costly sequencing problem — bringing heavy equipment back onto finished site work at a later date — and preserves the design intent of the project. The outstanding question is whether anticipated state grant funding will close the remaining roughly $320,000 gap before the contingency is needed; if it does not, ARPA reserves are the identified fallback. The project is expected to reach substantial completion in late fall 2024.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Reschedule the public hearing for the FY 2023-2024 general operating budget, water pollution control department fund operating budget, and community pool fund operating budget from March 23 to March 22 at 6 p.m. Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Resolution 030723-2 — Award the Bartlett Park South Phase 1 project to Dorita and Sons Construction Company, Inc. for the base amount of $6,341,700 plus Ad Alternate 1A (bandshell) in the amount of $886,000, and authorize the Town Manager to execute the contract upon approval by the Town Attorney as to form and legal sufficiency. Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Cheshire's community access TV: Town Council meeting, March 7, 2023