With two major components of Waitsfield's community wastewater project going out to bid shortly, the select board is moving forward with hiring a municipal project manager to help oversee the largest capital project in the town's history.
The board voted on Aug.10 to authorize town administrator York Haverkamp to finalize and issue a request for qualifications for the position, saying the town needs an independent representative in place before the first construction contracts go out to bid.
"The goal is to issue an RFQ with a pretty general scope of work for our municipal project manager for the wastewater project. The sooner we do it, the better," Haverkamp told the board. "We're about to go out for bid for contract one, which is the treatment plant. Contract two is about a month behind that."
The project manager will be funded through the wastewater project's existing budget, including eligible federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Haverkamp said hiring someone now will allow the town to have professional oversight as bid packages are opened, contracts are awarded and construction begins.
Engineers at DuBois & King are preparing final bid documents for construction of the wastewater treatment facility and construction of the collection and conveyance system. Both contracts are expected to be advertised within the coming weeks.
INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT
Haverkamp said the project manager would serve a different role from DuBois & King, which will continue providing engineering design services and resident project representation throughout construction.
"DuBois & King will continue in their design and Resident Project Representative role," Haverkamp wrote in a report to the board. "The project manager fills a different and complementary role: they work exclusively for the town, providing an independent set of eyes on everything from the bid documents to the final punch list."
"On a project with two contracts, approximately 110 properties, possibly multiple subcontractors, and a layered funding structure drawing on the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), possibly USDA Rural Development, the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, having someone whose only job is to watch out for the town is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” Haverkamp said.
Haverkamp said the project manager will also oversee federal reporting requirements, payment requests, documentation, contract administration and project closeout, responsibilities that exceed the town's administrative capacity.
The manager will also coordinate final inspections, punch lists, as-built documentation and certifications required by state and federal funding agencies before grants and loans can be formally closed.
BROAD SEARCH
Board members agreed the request for qualifications should be written broadly enough to attract both individual consultants and engineering or project management firms.
Board member Chach Curtis said Waitsfield's 2010 municipal water project relied on an individual project manager, but he recommended casting a wider net this time.
"In the water project, the project manager hired was an individual as opposed to a consulting firm," Curtis said. "I think we should structure the RFQ to try and attract both individuals and consulting firms, just giving ourselves more options, hopefully getting more interest."
EXPANDING ROLE
Board members also discussed broadening the project manager's responsibilities beyond construction oversight. Curtis recommended specifically including easement acquisition among the position's duties.
"I would add easements to that long list of things we would like a project manager to do," he said.
Haverkamp agreed, noting that every required easement must be secured before construction contracts can be executed.
"Easements have to be signed before the contract with the contractor," he said. "They have to all be signed. Everything has to be finalized."
Curtis added that the project manager's responsibilities would continue long after the first customers connect to the system.
"There will be an ongoing need for these folks too," he said. "We'll have initial users signing up at the outset, but then we'll be signing on additional users for the additional capacity."
NEXT STEPS
The town is using its 2010 municipal water project as a model for developing the new request for qualifications.
That earlier project also employed a municipal project manager responsible for overseeing construction, coordinating with regulatory agencies, administering contracts, monitoring budgets, ensuring federal compliance and conducting public outreach. Haverkamp said the town expects to update the 2010 procurement documents to reflect current federal procurement standards and funding requirements before advertising the position.
In his report, Haverkamp also noted that the Mad River Valley Planning District will continue to provide valuable institutional knowledge as the project moves forward.
Following discussion, board member David Babbott-Klein moved to authorize Haverkamp to finalize and issue the request for qualifications, with the submission deadline to be determined administratively in consultation with the wastewater team. The motion passed unanimously.
