Published in the August 18, 2016 edition
By BOB TUROSZ
NORTH READING — Bid documents are nearly complete for design services for the restroom facilities at the Arthur Kenney Field. June Town Meeting appropriated $50,000 for the design of the bathrooms, which are required by state code.
Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto said the Request For Proposals will be advertised on August 17, with the bids due back on Sept. 1. Once the designer is chosen, the request would have to go to Town Meeting to fund the bathroom project. Gilleberto said there would be more viable information closer to Town Meeting. This is a project that has been in the queue on the town’s list of proposed capital improvements for some time.
The RFP establishes criteria to evaluate and prioritize responses and is a similar process to find the qualified architect. It has yet to be determined which of several alternatives should be chosen.
AFC Chairman Mel Webster said there are essentially three different options:
• Build a combination restroom facility and snack shack, possibly on the location of the current snack shack at the football field.
• Retrofit the current storage space at the turf field’s team room. But then a new storage building would have to be built because the teams would be losing a lot of space for storage.
• Build a new restroom facility at the snack shack location.
“If we convert the existing storage building, we’re going to need some other facility for storage because there’s a ton of stuff in that space,” Webster said.
Gilleberto said there is “clearly some hesitation” on the town’s Capital Planning Committee to approve a facility incorporating the restrooms and snack shack. But it makes sense to include it in the list of options for planning purposes, he said.
Stephen O’Leary said the information for all three options should be part of the bid proposal at least for planning purposes. “Whatever the numbers come out to be, that’s what they come out to be,” he said. “At least we’ll have the information available.”
“There are different opinions” as to whether the least costly alternative would be to convert the team room to all restrooms because it is already plumbed, Webster said.
“Some people say it would be less expensive, some said it can’t be done or would be more expensive,” Webster said. Supt. of Schools Jon Bernard said he thought that option was off the table. “I think it’s quite complicated.”
It solves one problem but creates another, said Jerry Venezia.
Gilleberto said there will be a briefing session on Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. down on the field for interested parties interested on bidding for the proposal. Proposals are due back on Sept. 1 at 1 p.m.
Any facility that is built will be maintained jointly by the town and the school department. A subcommittee of three members has been appointed to review the credentials of the bidders: Supt. Bernard, Parks Director Marty Tilton and High School Principal AJ Loprete.