The Airport Commission hopes to get the administrative building project underway by the end of the month.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission will award the administrative building project to a Northampton firm after state forms are finalized.
Peter Enzien of Stantec Consulting Services, the airport's engineer, told the commission Tuesday that once the signed standard contract form is sent back to the state Department of Transportation, the city can award the project to low bidder DA Sullivan & Sons, which bid $3.6 million.
"They will be turned back into MassDOT. We will overnight that which then will allow us to officially award the project," Enzien said. "Once that happens, they will get in contact with all of their subcontractors, we will have a pre-construction meeting and, hopefully, we are breaking ground by the last week in October."
The city plans to move the vacant medical building on the north side of the Harriman & West Airport campus and use it as a new administrative building. The 8,700-square-foot facility was constructed in 2001 on leased airport land and was donated to the city by Berkshire Health Systems.
The only other bidder was Burke Construction of Adams at $3.8 million.
In other business, at a recent MassDOT Capital Improvement Project meeting, the state offered to put funds toward mowing equipment to help maintain the perimeter of the airport.
"We didn't want to be greedy. Certainly, they were already giving us money for the building, but they came out last winter and cut all these trees and if we don't get back in there and maintain it we will see them regrow," Enzien said. "They were nearly begging us to move forward with that."
Enzien said the state will fund 90 percent of the equipment that is slated to cost between $110,000 and $130,000.
The city's Administrative Officer Michael Canales said the city has the funds from a previous borrowing to cover this cost.
Enzien said they also discussed an upcoming airport improvement project and environmental permitting will be funded in 2019 for a 2020 perimeter fence installation.
"The fence only goes a third of the way around the airport now and the goal is to go all of the ways around," he said. "It will go a long way of keeping wildlife out, not eliminating it, but definitely slowing it down in addition to better security."
Before closing, City Councilor Jason LaForest said West End residents have complained of a fuel odor over the past few months.
"They claim it happens with some frequency and I have been spending time in Greylock for some 42 years I have only smelled it once," he said. "It was a sickening smell. We were gagging in the house. I can't say if it was from the airport or from Route 2 or maybe a diesel engine that was idling but I have had a half a dozen neighbors complain to me about it."
The commission said it would investigate the odor and recommended that residents call the Fire Department if they smell the odor again.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Summer Course Registration Now Available at MCLA
NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) announced that registration for summer class sessions is now open.
Registration is open to MCLA students, interested community members, high school students, those pursuing a master's degree, and college students wishing to transfer credits back to their home institution.
MCLA is offering two summer sessions, held in-person and online. Session A runs May 20 through June 28, 2024, and Session B runs July 8 through August 16, 2024. The College has more than 50 online courses to accommodate the schedules of working adults, undergraduates, and high school students.
Summer classes are a way to get ahead in a major or minor, work on general education requirements, explore a new interest, catch up on coursework, get closer to graduation, or focus on a particular subject by taking only one class.
Summer sessions can help college students home for the summer to complete prerequisite courses for their degree.
Learn about course offerings, review the schedule and register now at mcla.edu/summer.
Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather.
click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more
The music was nearly drowned out by the honking of horns as motorists signaled their support to the picket line at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art on Thursday.
click for more
Justyna Carlson, longtime member of the Historical Society and chair of the city's Historical Commission, was posthumously honored with induction by Mayor Jennifer Macksey on Tuesday, during Women's History Month.
click for more
The students can now reach the town field through a rough path in the woods and walk the field until crossing the road or walk along the sidewalk-free Cross Road, a heavily traveled way with no shoulders. click for more