ITEM #7
07-24-07
July 20, 2007
The Glastonbury Town Council
2155 Main Street
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Re: Town Manager’s Report
Dear Council Members:
The following will keep you up-to-date on various topics:
1. Safety Program:
The Town has a very aggressive and successful safety program involving all parts of the organization. Various initiatives have received state-wide recognition in recent years. I thought you would be interested in seeing a copy of the Safety Quarterly newsletter published by the Town employees Safety Committee.
2. Williams Street Bridge:
The brick and stone arch bridge structure on Williams Street is showing signs of deterioration. Options for restoration are under review. In the meantime traffic will be restricted to one-way alternating. This will relieve stress and strain on the structure. I expect a Capital budget request for 2008-2009 for corrective action.
3. Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry:
State DEP advises of plans for ferry land rehabilitation and dredging at the Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry. At this point construction is scheduled to begin in November 2007. As I understand the project will involve the east and west sides of the river.
4. Project Updates:
Bell Street Bridge – Bridge reconstruction scheduled to begin this summer. Some initial delays resulting from utility pole relocation. Clearing and erosion and sedimentation controls in place. Pending utility pole relocations heavy construction work to begin shortly.
Track and Turf – Work continues on reconstruction of the running track and installation of synthetic turf. At this point synthetic turf installation is scheduled to begin August 6th with substantial project completion by early September.
Main Street Striping – Restriping to achieve wider shoulder areas and narrower travel lanes, as possible, to be implemented southerly to Route 17/Main Street intersection over coming weeks.
Bridge Abutment Work – This is a state project along Route 17. Work on the west side of the bridge near the Cider Mill nearly complete. Will then move to east side. Estimated time to completion is 7 weeks.
5. Development Activity:
Attached is the Second Quarter 2007 Summary of Subdivision and Residential Development Activity. The quarterly report will be further refined. In the meantime, I wanted you to have this information.
6. Public Comment Session:
At the July 10th Public Comment Session, a resident expressed concern for 2 matters related to the Smith Middle School (SMS) and high school projects. I have reviewed the file and will provide Council with follow-up information on Tuesday evening. The following briefly summarizes the 2 matters.
With respect to lintels at SMS, there was an issue with warping during the galvanizing process. The vendor and design firm handled the cost of corrective action. A review of the records indicates no net cost to the Town for lintel corrective work.
The Professional Services Procurement process typically involves a 5 member selection committee. Committee members act independently when reviewing and rating initial responses to a Town Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Committee members act collectively when
interviewing short-listed firms and selecting top rated firms for a recommendation to the Town Manager. In my experience committee members do not influence others during this process. Selection committee members do not make the final determination. This determination is based on the selection committee process/ recommendation and subsequent interview and negotiations with the Town Manager including detailed fee proposals and compliance with Town contractual requirements.
Selection committee members for SMS architectural services included a member of the Town Council, Public Buildings Commission, Board of Education and administrative staff representing the Board and Town. The former Facilities Director for the Town did not participate on this selection committee and was not a member of the Town staff when this selection committee process occurred. The selection committee was unanimous in its final recommendation.
With respect to the high school, the 5 member selection committee included the Superintendent of Schools, members of the Public Buildings Commission, Board of Education, Town Council and former Facilities Director. Seven firms responded to the initial RFQ. Based on the short-list process, 6 firms were interviewed and 3 recommended for further consideration including interview, fee proposal and contract requirements. The final architectural firm selection for the GHS project was based on this highly competitive process. The selected firm was rated highly by selection committee members from initial review through committee interviews.
7. Blood Drive:
The Parks & Recreation Department and Teen Center co-sponsored a blood drive on Thursday, July 19th at the Academy facility. The program attracted over 70 donors. An Executive Summary is attached. The drive satisfied all program goals and was a great success.
I will be happy to review the preceding and any other items Tuesday evening.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Johnson
Town Manager
RJJ:yo
| 
