Members of Derby’s Parking Authority voted Tuesday (April 23) to spend $35,000 for an engineer to develop renovation plans to the municipal parking garage on Thompson Place.
But whether those numbers will be ready in time to be included on an as-yet unscheduled referendum asking city voters to borrow millions of dollars for a number of projects is another question.
“Time is of the essence,” said Parking Authority Member Jack Moran.
Background
Derby’s parking garage was built in 1975, and even though it is almost 40 years old, it is still structurally sound.
But it is worn out and needs major repairs, especially the replacement of concrete deck slabs that vehicles ride up and down on year after year.
For months, parking authority members have been discussing the prospect of including a question asking voters to approve repairs to the building on a referendum, but the cost estimates they’ve discussed have fluctuated.
In March, the authority received a preliminary estimate of $5.25 million for repairs, but that estimate was extrapolated from a repair job on a smaller parking garage in Waterbury.
Earlier cost projections for the project ranged from about $9.3 million for repairs to $16.4 million for tearing down the old parking garage and building a new one.
The variances led Corporation Counsel Joseph Coppola and City Treasurer Keith McLiverty to express doubts about the accuracy of the estimates received by the parking authority for the renovations.
New Estimate
Tuesday’s vote authorized Parking Authority Chairman Joseph Moore to sign a contract with Marnicki Associates of Old Saybrook to pay him $35,000 for firmer numbers.
The money for the study will come from parking authority revenue.
It will take Marnicki Associates about three weeks to prepare the study and cost estimates once they receive authorization, engineer Richard Marnicki said in a written statement.
Coppola appeared to be pleased with Tuesday’s vote, but was noncommittal about whether the estimates could be done in time for the parking garage question to be included on the referendum.
“This is getting us closer,” he said. “I feel we’re going in the right direction.”
If Aldermen decide Thursday which projects they want included on a referendum ballot, they would still need to meet jointly with the Board of Apportionment and Taxation to approve the actual questions put to voters.
The vote would be no sooner than 45 days after that meeting.
Moore said after the vote that he hopes the study would be done in time for the referendum.
Specifics
The cost estimate must be as close to the actual expenses incurred as possible, Coppola told parking authority members at Tuesday’s special meeting.
If the project is approved at referendum, and the bidding estimates come in higher, the project could be scrapped.
An estimate based on an engineering study would include a contingency fund, in case the cost of certain parts of the project are higher than expected, Coppola said.
For instance, if the price of concrete increases during the project, the contingency fund would cover it.
Marnicki Associates will prepare a more accurate cost estimate, Marnicki wrote in a proposal to the authority, and preliminary design drawings will be the basis for a contractor’s estimate.
Electrical, mechanical and plumbing engineers, and architects will visit the garage in order to provide accurate cost estimates for the work, which will include replacement of the concrete slabs, cleaning and painting of structural steel, adding membrane protection and repairing stairs.
Also included would be new lighting, building drainage, vehicle control at entrances and exits, office and bathroom renovation and handicap accessibility.
The parking authority may also eliminate some parking spaces in the garage, which could bring the cost of renovations down.
An average of 270 cars use the garage daily, parking officials said, out of a total of 340 parking spaces. When special events occur, it’s filled to capacity.
The garage “is the economic heart of our city,” said Parking Authority Director Leo Moscato, and without it, there wouldn’t be enough downtown parking available.
The parking authority would be reimbursed for the cost of the study if the referendum passes, and if it doesn’t, the study could be used for a later renovation project, officials said.
