Watchdog group helps save money

12/23/2006

Marissa Yaremich , Register Staff

WEST HAVEN — Repairing the leaking Benham Hill fire station roof appeared to be a lost cause due to bids that exceeded the budget, until fire officials turned to the city’s new Building Oversight Committee. The committee’s volunteers recently revamped the job’s specs and a new round of bids came well under budget, saving taxpayers money.

West Shore Deputy Chief Harold C. Burns said he had a $65,000 budget to work with. The first round of bidding resulted in a low bid of $76,000 and an "idiot" price of $197,000, Burns said. So he asked the committee, formed by mayoral appointment in February, to help.

The eight-member volunteer group is composed of financial, construction and engineering experts. They oversee the city’s current and past project costs and contracts to ensure they fall within the taxpayers’ expectations, both physically and monetarily.

Committee Chairman Kenneth Carney said the specs were changed to be less labor intensive, and the project was rebid.

Several new bids, some from the original interested companies, were received and some for as low as $41,000. The bid was scheduled to be awarded Friday. Information on the outcome was not available late Friday.

Carney commended Burns for contacting the committee.

"Any commission that comes to us for help, we are there to help them if they’re dealing with taxpayers’ money," said Carney.

Carney said the committee watches out for price gouging.

The firm that submitted a $197,000 bid, for instance, will be added to a list of companies the city should scrutinize before awarding a bid.

The new bids came in lower, Carney noted, because the new specs eliminated the stripping procedure and call for other techniques to re-roof the Benham Hill station, which was renovated last in the late 1980s.

"We wouldn’t have been able to afford to do that roof at those prices," Burns said. "I’d use them again in a minute."

Marissa Yaremich can be reached at myaremich@nhregister.com or 789-5742.