County EMA planning for new agency storage garage

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is moving ahead with the plans to construct a new agency storage garage for vehicles and equipment on the county’s East Main Street campus.

During a March 19 meeting of the county commissioners, Piscataquis County Manager Tom Lizotte said “(EMA Director Tom Capraro) did get approval from the planning board on the modified design for the building.”

Carparo, who was attending a conference on March 19, had worked with an engineer to revise building plans to bring before the Dover-Foxcrot Planning Board. The new blueprints have the facility going from two storeys to one to reduce construction costs.

Lizotte said Capraro is awaiting bids on the revised project. “If the bids come in too high what he would like to do is site prep,” the county manager said. “He thinks if they get a foundation in it will be easier to negotiate with a contractor.”

“At least this will move the project forward,” Lizotte said. “I don’t want anyone to have the impression there is a problem with the project. There’s not, it is just financial.”

The garage went out to bid twice last year. In May three bids for an EMA storage garage all came in multiple times more than the project budget. The garage estimate was between $85,000 and $100,000, and the bids were for $278,836, $342,848, and $476,638.

A month later the structure was put out to bid again with some revisions to the specs, such as eliminating a $100,000 performance bond requirement recommended by the project engineer and taking out a September completion deadline. Ralph McNaughton Construction of Newport, which bid $278,836 the first time, was the lone bidder for round two (five companies took out paperwork). The second submission from the company was for $259,618.

In July the commissioners passed a motion to waive the competitive bid process and authorize Capraro to negotiate with a contractor at a rate capped at $120,000.