Heat Turned Up On High School Contractor

     If the general contractor for the Falmouth High School renovation continues to miss construction deadlines and fails to respond to correspondence in a timely fashion, the town may have to appeal to its bonding company to put pressure on the construction company.
     This is one option the Falmouth High School Building Committee discussed yesterday afternoon for dealing with TLT Construction Corporation in light of another deadline—the completion of phase one on August 8—that looms on the horizon.
     Over the past month, architect DiNisco Design Partnership of Boston has issued several letters to the construction firm on behalf of the town, including one sent two weeks ago demanding that phase one, which includes the locker rooms, House A classrooms, the auditorium, 10 classrooms and the cafeteria in House B, and site work be finished by the second week of August.
     Project manager Jonathan T. Depina of Gilbane said TLT has responded that they will be finished with this work by the third week of August. This poses a problem for the school department, Mr. Depina said, which needs more time to move into the space before classes begin in September.
     In addition, architect Kenneth F. DiNisco said they just received a response from TLT two days ago regarding the claim that the town has overpaid the general contractor nearly $2 million since the project began.
     That response came nearly two weeks after the town asked TLT to repay the sum. Despite the town’s request in writing, project officials have previously noted that the $2 million will most likely be whittled away by work done in June, July, and August.
     Selectman Kevin E. Murphy asked what recourse the town has for dealing with TLT “if they continue to ignore deadlines and not respond to us in a timely fashion.”
     Mr. Depina said the best course of action would be to notify the bonding company.
     “How long do we wait?” Mr. Murphy asked.
     Committee member John K. Scanlan said the town is already taking steps toward this end by sending copies of all TLT correspondence to the bonding company.
     Mr. DiNisco explained that this is part of the town’s plan of attack in dealing with TLT in case they do not respond to specific requests and fail to meet deadlines.
     However, committee member Betsy Hike wondered if other steps could be taken. She suggested that perhaps the town could request a list of pre-qualified general contractors from the School Building Authority in case they cannot come to an agreement with TLT to extend their contract for the remainder of the project. Currently, the town is in negotiations with the firm to complete phase two of the project, which includes Houses B and C, at an agreed upon price and schedule.
     By securing a list of other contractors, Ms. Hike said, it may put pressure on TLT to move faster. “We don’t want to have to delay the project further,” she said.
     Mr. Depina and committee member Patrick J. Callahan said notifying the bonding company is a much more powerful tactic to use. Regardless, Mr. Callahan stressed that “the plan is to move forward with TLT in phase two.”
     Current work at the high school consists of finishing the auditorium, demolition of metal in the Robert V. Antonucci Field House as well as construction of permanent walls of the wellness center there, site work and addressing punch list items, Mr. DiNisco said.
     In terms of the workforce, which has been a problem in the past, Mr. Depina said, there are roughly 35 to 40 workers on site every day now.
     Because August 8 is not far away, developer Michael Galasso of Spencer Baird Road, Woods Hole, asked what TLT needs to do to meet that deadline and when they need to do it.
     Mr. Depina said it includes both increasing manpower and work hours, which “[TLT] needed to do a while ago.”
     “Has [TLT] done that yet at all?” Mr. Galasso asked.
     “No,” Mr Depina replied. Yet, he admitted that the August 8 deadline is achievable. To that end, he said, they have asked TLT to provide them with a schedule, including the amount of workforce they will use, to complete phase one by the second week of August. “We think it is doable, but it is up to the contractor to supply enough manpower and work shifts,” he said.