Fire station filed sub-bids come in $390,000 over budget

SUDBURY — July 21, 2022 — Sudbury's fire station phase one filed sub-bids landed roughly $390,000 over budget ahead of the July 28 general bid opening. Permanent Building Committee member Craig Blake reported that 11 filed sub-bid categories drew four or five bidders each but came in about 20 percent over overall, with fire protection bids 113 percent over budget and plumbing 75 percent over. "They're just too busy, and we didn't get a good number," Blake said. The town is holding $1 million in ARPA reserves against the gap, on top of $4.3 million previously appropriated and $950,000 added at the latest Town Meeting. Separately, the committee endorsed a redesigned recreation entry at the Fairbank Community Center — relocating a generator to clear sight lines — and authorized roughly $4,000 in soil testing for metals, SVOCs and petroleum but not herbicides or pesticides. The town entered a $300,612 builder's risk policy running through July 2024. Groundbreaking at Fairbank is set for Aug. 1 at 3:30 p.m.