Lanesborough Re-Hires Designer for Police/EMS ProposalBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Thursday, June 29, 2023 | |
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The town has entered into another designer agreement with Jacunski Humes Architects LLC for a second go at a public safety building proposal.
On Monday, the Select Board approved a $16,000 contract with the firm that began on June 22. This includes $10,000 for architectural services and $6,000 for a new cost estimate and budget worksheet.
Select Board members Timothy Sorrell and Michael Murphy passed the item without discussion. Chair John Goerlach was absent.
"This was presented by the Lanesborough Public Safety Building Committee. They were able to reach back out to Jacunski Humes about redesigns as required by the town for potential redesign options," Town Administrator Gina Dario said.
"So this is the contract that (architect Brian Humes) has come back with for the town."
The designer will work in conjunction with the Public Safety Building Committee, which replaces the now-dissolved Police Station Committee.
In March, the town rejected a nearly $6 million police and ambulance facility proposal and the committee is tasked with creating a new plan that is more palatable to residents.
The new contract stipulates additional schematic design phase services to determine a revised site plan, floor plan and exterior rendering new a new Lanesborough police/emergency medical services facility located at 405 South Main St., the former Skyline Country Club.
The town has accepted $150,000 from the Baker Hill Road District to purchase the land.
"The facility shall be designed to meet the programmatic needs of the Lanesborough PD/EMS as further described within Space Needs Assessment for a new Police/ EMS Facility, Lanesborough, MA, dates August 2022, as previously prepared by the Designer and further amended by the Town of Lanesborough," the contract reads.
"Final deliverable will be an Updated Space Needs Assessment, revised Site Plan, revised Floor Plan, and Exterior Rendering similar to that earlier produced within the original Agreement for the Lanesborough Police Department. If the Town of Lanesborough elects to proceed, the Designer can furnish a professional cost estimate to determine anticipated costs of construction and site work along with a revised Project Budget Worksheet to anticipate other project related expenses (soft costs) and a suitable project contingency."
The former committee spent a year working on the rejected proposal. Most of the opposition was focused on the $5.9 million cost of the 7,300-square-foot design.
Those in favor argued that postponing the project was not cost-effective as prices, and interest rates, will continue to increase. The project had secured $1 million in state funding and was in line for a 40-year loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The board also voted to enter into an intermunicipal agreement with the town of Williamstown for planning services by Andrew Groff, Williamstown's community development director.
"This is the support of one of the planners who happens to also be on our Planning Board so this is a continuation of that agreement," Dario explained.
"Just for the board's visibility, we have been progressing a grant with (Berkshire Regional Planning Commission) to progress the town's master plan and this position helps with that."
At just over 20 minutes, the public session was swift before members went into executive session to discuss a Highway or Police Department contract negotiation memorandum of adjustments for approval.
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