Huntington Highway Superintendent Charles “Chip” Dazelle. (Photo by Amy Porter)
HUNTINGTON – Highway Superintendent Charles “Chip” Dazelle appeared before the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday, to update them about the Searle Road Bridge project, and to finalize the hiring of an administrative assistant for the department.
Dazelle said the Searle Road bridge received a $300,000 Small Bridges grant from MassDOT last year. He said at the time, the $300,000 amount was thought to be enough to repair and paint the bridge deck, after a preliminary review by Gil Engineer and MassDOT inspectors.
Dazelle said the bids came in higher than anticipated at $298,000, which did not leave enough funds to pay for the engineering study and inspector, and he asked for an additional $50,000 from MassDOT.
Also, after further study by the engineer, Dazelle was told that for an additional $25,000, they could replace the whole super structure of the bridge, including the deck and beams. The new plan will also require another $25,000 for the engineer, which upped his request to $100,000 to MassDOT.
Dazelle said the grant allowed up to $500,000 per bridge, and this would bring the total cost to $400,000 for the Searle Road bridge. He said he has been on the phone with Boston and Lenox, and is hopeful; just waiting to hear.
Selectman Darlene McVeigh asked Dazelle what the town’s liability is if they don’t get the $100,000. Dazelle said they already have a contract to replace the beams and the paint, but they would still owe the engineer $25,000, which is less than the 25% change order allowed in the contract.
Dazelle said he is still hoping to get the bridge project, which was scheduled to begin August 1, done this summer.
