Staff Writer
Discussion became heated during the Caribou City Council meeting Monday evening when a councilor questioned why taxpayers were being asked to pay for bleachers and flooring coverings for the new Wellness Center. The cost of the items was not included in the original bid. “It’s not cost savings,” said Doug Morrell, council member. “Someone did not do their homework and someone should be accountable.”
The cost for the bleachers and floor coverings, estimated at about $34,000, was not part of the original bid. However, Morrell took issue with the project’s construction savings of $34,278 cited earlier in the meeting. During a routine report on the center’s building progress, city officials said that the project continues to be under the $2.8 million bid amount.
The exchange was one of several discussions surrounding the wellness center and the attached recreation building that evening.
The agenda item sparking the discussion was a “first reading” of the presentation of information for the purchase of the new bleachers and floor coverings for the wellness center’s gymnasium, which is scheduled to open in March.
“I don’t think we can spend more than the voters authorized,” said Morrell, citing “poor planning.”
After Morrell’s outburst, Mayor Miles Williams asked Morrell to “settle down.”
“I will not settle down,” said Morrell, clearly agitated.
City Manager Steve Buck said that when the project began, it was a “bare bones” plan.
“At one time, we didn’t have hoops included,” said Buck. “It was known when it was put out to bid that (the bleachers and floor coverings) weren’t part of the bid.”
Morrell contended that the items shouldn’t have been taken out of the project.
Kathy Mazzuchelli, the recreation director, was not present during this part of the meeting. She said Tuesday that the city was able to save 10 to 15 percent overall by not including the bleachers and the floor coverings in the initial bid, which would have been subjected to the contractor’s traditional markup.
“We’re under bid and we’re on time,” Mazzuchelli said.
In another discussion regarding the recreation center, the council voted to replace a section of flooring in the original recreation building at a cost of $15,877. The 1985 flooring has settled, according to Mazzuchelli, who was present during this segment of the meeting.
The uneven floor is causing life safety code issues, the recreation director said. The tiles and the underlying sand and grout material need to be removed. The slab supporting the floor also needs repair, Mazzuchelli explained.
The council approved the repairs, which will be financed through the capital improvements program, according to Buck.
A third agenda item involving the recreation department was centered on whether National Guard fencing between the guard facilities and the wellness center should be removed immediately or when the wellness center is possibly expanded. The overall plan of the wellness center is to install an aquatic center as part of the complex. However, that phase must to through voters’ approvals in the future.
“The fence is in the way of potential future referendum for expansion,” said Morrell. “The guard can move it now or later. It’s their dollar.”
The spot in question, which lies directly behind the wellness center, also would be a bus stop for children as well as fuel trucks going to the Guard’s fueling area.
“It’s a pretty tight fit,” said Mazzuchelli.
City Council members and the Maine Army National Guard were scheduled to further discuss the issue on Tuesday evening.
