HADLEY — Contractors who will build a new town library and a fire department substation in North Hadley — projects that will cost the town $8 million and $3.7 million, respectively — are being hired by the Select Board.
The Select Board accepted the low bids at its June 12 meeting and is expected to sign contracts for both projects. On Wednesday, the board authorized a contract for the library that will be ratified at its July 10 meeting.
Orlando Annulli & Sons Inc. of Manchester, Connecticut, was the lowest qualified bidder, even though its bid of $6.16 million came in above the $5.85 million estimate. That bid was recommended by the owner’s project manager, D.A. Sullivan & Sons Inc. of Northampton.
Alison Donta-Venman, chairwoman of the library building committee, said experts speculate that the higher costs for building the library are being caused by threatened and implemented increases in tariffs by the Trump administration.
As part of the work of constructing the new library, the contractor will demolish the Hooker School Building, which formerly housed the Council on Aging, the Hadley Planning Board and Hadley Media.
On the flip side, the fire substation bid was significantly lower than anticipated.
Kurtz Inc. of Westfield was awarded the contract after submitting a $2.39 million bid, which was $585,000 below estimates for the construction costs. Kurtz was recommended by the owner’s project manager, Colliers International of Agawam.
That building, going on a 9.5-acre site on River Drive at Stockbridge Street, will replace the 1950s two-bay garage at the North Hadley Village Hall that has been used by firefighters for vehicles, emergency communications and equipment.
Once work begins on both projects, they will join the ongoing construction of a new senior center, at a cost of $7.1 million, which is already being handled by Forish Construction Co. Inc. Forish was awarded a contract earlier this year after submitting the lowest bid, at $4.65 million.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
