Amherst Spends $2.5 Million on Library Project in August
Photo: https://www.joneslibrary.org/
The Jones Library Building Committee met on September 22 to review progress of the demolition, renovation, and expansion of the downtown library building, and to approve the previous month’s invoices.
Seven invoices totaling $2,542,867 were submitted to the town in August.
Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) Trey Logie of Colliers ran through the invoices for the committee to review and approve.
The smallest invoice was $450.58 to pay Johnson Controls for deactivating the fire alarm on the now partially demolished building. The previous month the JLBC had approved a change order for the unanticipated work of installing an operational fire alarm at the work site requested by the Amherst Fire Department. That change order added $37,686 to the construction cost.
NV5, the commissioning agent for the project, billed $7,800 for services rendered in August. The commissioning agent is an independent expert charged with ensuring that all installed systems—such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing—function as intended and meet design specifications and performance requirements. August work entailed examining mechanical and electrical plans and the building’s envelope design.
The project designer, Finegold Alexander Architects (FAA), submitted two invoices. $63,250 was a monthly charge for construction administrative services. This is part of a total of $1,150,000 contracted by the town for FAA’s work during the construction phase of the project. This work is now 13.5% complete.
The second FAA invoice for $7,865.30 covered the work of two sub-consultants hired by the design firm. An acoustical consultant charged $470 for what Logie described as “sound checking, monitoring, making sure that you’re not bouncing noise all over the place within the building through the design.”
Also included in this charge was $7,395.30 for a geotechnical engineer. Logie explained the work as “soil checking out” and reporting.
Colliers Project Leaders charged $32,393.66 for project management work in August. This included attendance at meetings, the review of submittals from contractors, budget updates and reporting. The Colliers invoice shows that their billing rate for most services is $182.50 per hour.
Slobody Development Corp. is due $21,078.42 in rent each month for the 19,457 sq. ft. of temporary space that the Jones Library now occupies at 101 University Drive while construction proceeds. The lease runs until May 31, 2027, with an option to extend the term by 180 days if necessary.
Fontaine Brothers, the Springfield-based general contractor, submitted the largest invoice, for $2,409,999.47. Fontaine bills are based on the percentage of work completed, and the invoice is checked for accuracy by the OPM.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman originally contracted with Fontaine to serve as project general contractor for $35,904,769. This has since increased by $595,804 as the result of three change orders. These are $37,686 for a temporary fire alarm system, $510,812 after rebidding slate roofing work, and $47,306 for additional preservation of Philippine mahogany millwork requested by the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
The change order increases must be paid out of a line item in the budget known as “contingency.” In August, then acting OPM Robert Peirent reported that after paying for the latest change orders, the project was carrying a contingency of $2.68 million, or about 7.5% of the original contract value.
JLBC Chair Austin Sarat asked Peirent and Logie if the current contingency seems adequate. Logie replied, “You always want more, Austin, I’ll be honest. But 7.5% where we’re at is pretty good.”
Library Demolition is Two-Thirds Complete
Trey Logie presented the JLBC with a construction update, showing photos of the site. One image showed the area where the Kinsey Memorial Garden used to be. It has now been leveled to provide stormwater runoff accommodating the planned addition.
The OPM launched into a description of demolition work completed in the interior of the historic 1928 section of the library.
See related: Photo of the Week: Jones Library Demolition
“Then we get to the fun part which was very cool to watch” he said. “We had this giant excavator from our demo sub and they went and ripped down the 1990s addition.”
“Very cool to watch,” he repeated.
The demolished wing was built in 1993 and paid for with a state grant, a $1 million contribution from the town, and with the proceeds of a sale the library’s Albert Bierstadt painting “On The Platte River Nebraska” for $2.4 million.
