Penfield Pavilion's $3.8m Rebuild Estimate Explained

James Gallagher, chairman of the Penfield Pavilion Building Committee, sent an e-mail to Fairfield Patch on Thursday about the $3.8 million estimate to demolish and rebuild the center and westerly portions of the pavilion (the easterly portion already has been done.)

Gallagher's e-mail follows:

At the Penfield Building Committee meeting Wednesday evening, the committee met with the design team from Wiles and scrutinized the estimates from Wiles and from Malkin. There is little to nothing to cut from the plans, as the committee has already accomplished that. This is a bare-bones, meat-and- potatoes building. There was discussion about eliminating air conditioning from the lifeguard station, but the savings are minimal. It will be moved to an add alternate.

There was a great deal of discussion about the needed electrical service. No service is budgeted in either estimate. To provide separate, single-phase services to the building will require modifications to the structure to segregate the concession area. The segregation walls are fire walls and will not only detract from the interior, but must protrude through the roof line. The costs of the segregation walls, transformer(s) and pad, in conjunction with more expensive, less-efficient mechanical components total nearly the same as bringing in a three-phase service. George Wiles will provide a written analysis ASAP. The committee decided to bring in the three-phase service.

There was much commentary about alternative insulation and roofing systems, floor framing, and decking. After much discussion and deliberation, it appears that the current design is most efficient and cost effective.

Furniture will not be included in the funding request, but rather left to the non-recurring budget next year.

Because the estimates exceed the original estimates and there are no apparent cost-cutting measures left, the committee voted to authorize the architect to finish designs and send out bid packages by the first week of June rather than seek funding at this point. The current estimates, not including the electrical service, hover around $3.8 million. It is important to note that the original estimates are more than 18 months old, and were devised long before the building committee was established. The original estimate lacked figures for contingencies, profit for private contractors, and needed site improvements.

Bids will provide a much more realistic view of actual anticipated costs and provide more concrete evidence for town boards to consider during the funding request.

Minutes of the meeting should be ready within the next few days.

James Gallagher

Chairman, Penfield Pavilion Building Committee