Inflation of prices forces pause on Bristol renovation projects

By Christy Nadalin
Posted 1/26/23

The Town anticipated costs to renovate the Reynolds Building would be in the ballpark of $1.9 million. The least expensive of the three bids received was $3,347,000.

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Inflation of prices forces pause on Bristol renovation projects

Posted

It was a sobering moment when the Town opened the bids last Wednesday for the next phase of the Reynolds School renovation project. When the project was initially estimated a couple of years ago, the Town anticipated costs would be in the ballpark of $1.9 million.

The least expensive of the three bids received was $3,347,000.

Town Administrator Steven Contente admits it was a surprise. “We did get a call from our architect last week, saying that the trend was that things are costing about 25% more. But this — it is almost double.”

The Town’s project estimator cited prevailing market conditions including labor shortages, supply chain issues, high fuel costs, higher equipment prices, and stockpiling of materials as some of the forces driving up costs.

The project funding was supposed to be coming from $1.5 million from American Rescue Plan Funds and $400,000 from the sale of 9 Court St. The new estimates would leave the town significantly short.

“We are evaluating what can be done to keep moving forward with the available funds,” said Contente.

The Town is having discussions with Brewster Thornton, their construction management consultant, about how to scale down the project, and phase it in gradually.

“We don't have the money to do the entire project at this time, from the looks of it,” said Contente. “And it's it's not just here. It's all of our other projects, too. In the last couple of years, they've almost gotten to the point where they're out of reach, and the labor pool isn't there, either. So it's becoming very difficult to get projects done.”

Though the project has yet to be put out to bid, Contente anticipates the same skyrocketing costs will apply to whatever numbers come in for the Walley School renovation, and has already asked the project managers to scale that down, prioritizing the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system as that is crucial to halting the continued deterioration of that structure.

“All I can say is, I feel your pain,” said Councilman Tony Teixeira. “It’s not easy. Things have increased dramatically, and it has made it much, much more difficult to do some of these projects.”

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