WATERVILLE — City councilors on Tuesday will vote to hire a construction manager for a police station project and consider co-signing a $1.25 million loan to complete the Opera House renovation project.
City Manager Michael Roy and others who interviewed construction companies will recommend that the council vote to hire Wright-Ryan Construction Inc., of Portland, for the police station project.
The city is considering either buying the Morning Sentinel building on Front Street and renovating it for a police station or building a new one at Head of Falls.
If hired, Wright-Ryan would analyze the Sentinel building and determine what it would cost to renovate it versus building new, Roy said Thursday.
As part of the vote Tuesday, councilors would approve paying Wright-Ryan up to $115,000 for the analysis and working with the city’s architect, Port City Architecture, to come up with a design and construction estimate, Roy said. The money also would include the company’s involvement in actual construction.
“That amount should include the analysis of both site options and their (Wright-Ryan) services, right through completion of the project,” Roy said.
Roy estimates that the analysis would be ready by the middle or end of May and then councilors would be ready to vote whether to buy the Sentinel building for the agreed upon price, $550,000.
On the Opera House issue, Roy said he supports guaranteeing a $1.25 million loan for the $4.8 million renovation and addition project.
The project cost is exceeding estimates by about $600,000, according to Opera House officials. The city owns City Hall, in which the Opera House is located, and must guarantee the loan in order for the bank to approve it since the Opera House has no assets.
Councilors will be asked Tuesday to take the first of three required votes to co-sign, or guarantee, the loan.
“I think it’s essential to see that this project gets financed. The facility is very, very important to the economic health of our city as a whole, and especially the downtown,” Roy said.
In other matters, councilors will appoint an airport advisory committee; consider amending the administrative ordinance to allow the council to hold meetings on days other than the first and third Tuesday of every month; and consider approving a tobacco-free ordinance that would prohibit tobacco at all city recreational areas.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at The Center and will be preceded by a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. to discuss whether the city should form a charter commission.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
acalder@centralmaine.com
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