Northborough building committee pushes contractor for recovery schedule as new fire station falls months behind

The Town of Northborough Fire Station Building Committee pressed the contractor on June 23 for a clear plan to regain schedule after staff and committee members said submitted timelines repeatedly pushed the project’s completion out past contracted dates. The meeting, held June 23, focused on construction progress, sequencing to achieve a weather‑tight shell and financial implications of ongoing delays.

Committee members and a project representative said slabs on grade and the slab‑on‑deck in the administration area have been poured, detention‑basin components and much of the east retaining wall have been installed and inspected, and the apparatus bay is nearly ready for its floor slab and upcoming radiant‑piping work. “With the slabs poured, they’re at least able to start putting up their hangers for the mechanical and piping,” the project representative said, describing recent progress and near‑term mechanical work.

But much of the meeting centered on why the building is not yet weather‑tight. Committee members asked why roof trusses and flat‑roof insulation were not translating into an enclosed shell; staff said roofing materials are staged on site but parapet construction and light‑gauge metal framing must be completed first. The project team told the committee that several contractor‑submitted schedules were reviewed and rejected because they moved the completion date farther out instead of showing a recovery plan.

“We’ve asked for a recovery schedule. We haven’t gotten a recovery schedule,” the project representative said, adding that the team has reminded the contractor of liquidated‑damages provisions in the contract and is seeking proposals for double‑crewing, alternate sequencing and limited extended work days to regain time.

Committee members proposed short‑term sequencing fixes — for example, sealing off the apparatus bay to create a weathertight half of the building so interior trades can begin there — and suggested asking the contractor to attend the next building committee meeting to answer questions face to face. The committee also instructed town staff to coordinate an official letter from the town administrator and the finance director to underline the town’s concerns if the contractor does not provide an acceptable recovery schedule promptly.

Finance and contingency issues were also raised. Staff reported three invoices tied to a contaminated‑soil discovery on a property acquired for the site: removal of about 140 tons of soil and follow‑up testing. Two invoice amounts read aloud in the meeting were $2,541 (lab analysis and groundwater sampling) and $2,387 (sonar testing); the transcript’s first removal invoice amount was unclear in the record but the work described was the removal of roughly 140 tons of material. Staff said bid savings remain intact and the project is tracking roughly $1.2 million in potential contingency items; current tracking suggests the project can absorb the items identified so far, but pending changes or additional remediation could affect that position.

MassDOT coordination also remains outstanding: staff said the contractor’s third‑party safety consultant has prepared a traffic‑management plan required by MassDOT, but the revised pricing tied to daytime work (which would change the original nighttime‑work pricing) has not been submitted.

Design and furnishings work is progressing in parallel. Design staff said they have begun furniture, fixtures and equipment planning, met with fire department leaders to confirm room layouts and will pursue state‑contract vendors where possible to manage costs.

The committee scheduled a follow‑up cadence: staff will press for a recovery schedule from the contractor in the coming weeks and may hold a special meeting to review any recovery plan before the regular July meeting. The meeting opened with and approved the May 27 minutes by motion and concluded after a motion to adjourn, both taken by voice without roll‑call tallies recorded.