Masontown awards contracts to move forward with municipal complex
?MASONTOWN — Borough council moved forward with the proposed municipal complex, voting to award contracts totaling more than $600,000 so that the project can get started.
At Tuesday’s meeting, council members voted 6-0 to award four contracts, with Kim Essig, Frank McLaughlin, Kay Rendina, Joseph Stillwagon, Mike Washko and Harry Lee voting yes. Councilman Edward Gulino was absent from the meeting.
The municipal complex will be located in the former Gabler Drug building at 2 N. Main St.
Council intends to revamp the building and turn it into a complex that will house borough offices and the police department.
The office of Magisterial District Judge Randy Abraham will also be located there.
Borough engineer Art Brower of Fayette Engineering said the district judge office will be ready by December and that the borough will more than likely be able to move their offices into the complex by January.
The contract for general construction work at the complex was awarded to Mascon Inc. at $386,900. The $84,780 contract for plumbing was awarded to East End Plumbing and Mechanical Inc. and the $87,490 contract for mechanical work was awarded to Marc Service Inc.
All of the three contracts were awarded to the lowest bidder.
The fourth contract for electrical work was awarded for S.E. Schultz Electric in the amount of $81,400. Brower said Schultz was the second lowest bidder and was chosen after the lowest bidder declined because of time restrictions.
All four bids total $640,570. The total project, once all work is complete and the complex has been fit out for the district judge office, will come to $922,521, which includes the cost the borough incurred to purchase the building and any additional unexpected expenses.
Earlier this year, council voted to borrow $925,000 from Parkvale Bank to cover the cost of the project.
The loan will require the borough to make 291 payments of $4,498. The interest rate is set at 3 percent for five years, with adjustments to the interest rate allowable in five year increments.
In addition, the loan will allow the borough to make interest-only payments for nine months during the construction phase of the municipal complex.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development approved the project.
In other business, council also reminded residents that water will be shut off July 7 to any residences that are two months or more behind on their water bill.
The next council meeting is scheduled for 7?p.m. July 12 in the borough building.