Hiring of manager to oversee Oswegatchie firehouse project OK’d

Waterford — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday approved spending $306,650 to hire a program manager who will oversee the construction of the new Oswegatchie firehouse.

“That person will really end up being the representative of Waterford,” said Robert Tuneski, chair of the Oswegatchie Fire Station Building Committee.

Downes Construction Co. of New Britain will develop bids, review construction drawings, assist in the selection of the building contractor and oversee the day-today construction while reporting back to the building committee.

The appropriation still has to be approved by the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting. Last month, the RTM approved the town’s purchase of the Oswegatchie Fire Company’s land and current building for $1, and allocated an additional $127,000 for building designs.

The building committee interviewed three candidates for the job before voting 5-2 to select Downes Construction, Tuneski said.

“These guys have a lot of internal expertise,” he told selectmen Tuesday night, adding the firm was also the low bidder.

Asked by First Selectman Rob Brule about the project’s impact on taxpayers, Tuneski said constructing a new building is only one of the options.

He disputed information from RTM and fellow building committee member Ted Olynciw about the building’s cost. Last month, Olynciw sent a letter to the RTM that calculated the cost of a 13,350-square-foot station, the size designed in 2018, at $12.1 million. But Tuneski said the final cost could end up being much less as the committee has yet to make decisions about the size and features of the building.