(Aug. 10, 2017) The county commissioners last Tuesday approved a contract to remove the chimneys from the Ocean Pines Library and a price decrease for the construction of a replacement branch in Berlin, for a combined savings of about $62,000.
Back in May, Public Works Director John Tustin brought several issues concerning the Ocean Pines library before the board. At the time, Tustin recalled asking an associate for an opinion on the design of the library, to which the reply was there were four noticeable problems: the chimneys.
Over the objections of two commissioners, Ted Elder and Jim Bunting, the board approved developing design documents to fully explore the chimneys’ contributions to water leaks, which may have caused other issues like roof shingle damage and HVAC issues, since two of the chimneys act as outdoor air intakes for the system.
The cost at the time was expected to be about $71,000 to fully investigate and produce design documents to rectify any issues.
Those issues appear to have a simpler solution — straight up removal of the chimneys, which Bunting and Elder advocated for in May. The cost has come down too, with a projected savings of almost $53,000.
Tustin said the decision to remove the chimneys had to be made, so design efforts could commence on completely new roofing and HVAC systems, according to Kim Moses, county public information officer.
Joe Mitrecic, Ocean City’s representative on the board and a builder by trade, had the most concerns about removing the chimneys in May, but said his concerns were addressed in a later interview.
When asked how Whiting-Turner, the contractor on the project, was able to achieve such significant savings, Mitrecic said he didn’t know, but he had every confidence the project would be completed and the issued solved.
The Ocean Pines branch of the Worcester County Library was designed and built in the mid-1990s by an architect and builder who have both since retired, requiring different vendors for the repairs.
Two of the chimneys, Tustin reported in May, are used as outdoor air intakes for the HVAC system, but were built improperly for that purpose. Part of the next phase of the project would include redesigning the HVAC system to compensate for the change.
The roof shingles are also becoming delaminated, Tustin reported in May, which is a fairly common problem with shingles and occurs when the layers composing the shingle separate, and is allowing wind-driven rainwater to penetrate the structure. The valley and dormer flashings may also be undersized as well as the gutters and downspouts, Tustin said.
A completely new roof system is in the works once the chimneys have been removed, Mitrecic said.
The county also approved a change order for the new Berlin library last Tuesday, with four notifications resulting in a savings of almost $9,000.
The first notification concerned the removal and replacement of “unsuitable structural soils” found after the removal of the topsoil and would increase the overall cost of the project by about $24,000.
Next, stone outfall protection for stormwater management increased the cost of the project by $4,009.
Third, a product change for the windows and a manufacturer discount on the exterior doors reduced the overall price for the project by $24,000.
Finally, during project bidding, the closed circuit TV vendor providing security for the site suggested an alternate product that would reduce the cost by $13,450.
As a result, the net savings on the Berlin project totaled almost $9,000.
With the almost $53,000 reduction for the Ocean Pines design, both modifications saved the county about $62,000 on two projects.
Back in May, Public Works Director John Tustin brought several issues concerning the Ocean Pines library before the board. At the time, Tustin recalled asking an associate for an opinion on the design of the library, to which the reply was there were four noticeable problems: the chimneys.
Over the objections of two commissioners, Ted Elder and Jim Bunting, the board approved developing design documents to fully explore the chimneys’ contributions to water leaks, which may have caused other issues like roof shingle damage and HVAC issues, since two of the chimneys act as outdoor air intakes for the system.
The cost at the time was expected to be about $71,000 to fully investigate and produce design documents to rectify any issues.
Those issues appear to have a simpler solution — straight up removal of the chimneys, which Bunting and Elder advocated for in May. The cost has come down too, with a projected savings of almost $53,000.
Tustin said the decision to remove the chimneys had to be made, so design efforts could commence on completely new roofing and HVAC systems, according to Kim Moses, county public information officer.
Joe Mitrecic, Ocean City’s representative on the board and a builder by trade, had the most concerns about removing the chimneys in May, but said his concerns were addressed in a later interview.
When asked how Whiting-Turner, the contractor on the project, was able to achieve such significant savings, Mitrecic said he didn’t know, but he had every confidence the project would be completed and the issued solved.
The Ocean Pines branch of the Worcester County Library was designed and built in the mid-1990s by an architect and builder who have both since retired, requiring different vendors for the repairs.
Two of the chimneys, Tustin reported in May, are used as outdoor air intakes for the HVAC system, but were built improperly for that purpose. Part of the next phase of the project would include redesigning the HVAC system to compensate for the change.
The roof shingles are also becoming delaminated, Tustin reported in May, which is a fairly common problem with shingles and occurs when the layers composing the shingle separate, and is allowing wind-driven rainwater to penetrate the structure. The valley and dormer flashings may also be undersized as well as the gutters and downspouts, Tustin said.
A completely new roof system is in the works once the chimneys have been removed, Mitrecic said.
The county also approved a change order for the new Berlin library last Tuesday, with four notifications resulting in a savings of almost $9,000.
The first notification concerned the removal and replacement of “unsuitable structural soils” found after the removal of the topsoil and would increase the overall cost of the project by about $24,000.
Next, stone outfall protection for stormwater management increased the cost of the project by $4,009.
Third, a product change for the windows and a manufacturer discount on the exterior doors reduced the overall price for the project by $24,000.
Finally, during project bidding, the closed circuit TV vendor providing security for the site suggested an alternate product that would reduce the cost by $13,450.
As a result, the net savings on the Berlin project totaled almost $9,000.
With the almost $53,000 reduction for the Ocean Pines design, both modifications saved the county about $62,000 on two projects.