Hermon site declared fit for new town building

HERMON – Despite initial concern about the stability of the public safety building site, construction crews have pushed on and engineers have deemed the location fit.

Crews had to excavate more of the site than initially anticipated, but the site was stabilized by using compact fill soils, said Town Manager Clint Deschene. Approximately 660 yards of soil had to be removed and replaced, which could add between $15,000 and $20,000 to the project, he said. The town had built about a $100,000 cushion into the $1.4 million project budget for unexpected expenses.

While the project remains on schedule, the general contractor, Bowman Brothers Inc. of Newport, may request to push the Dec. 31 completion date back, Deschene said.

“The major framework will be going up in the next four to six weeks,” he said. “In that time you will see the site change a lot.”

The 9,800-square-foot public safety building, which is located behind the town office and next to the old fire station, will feature four drive-through bays for firetrucks and public works equipment and two drive-in bays for police cruisers.

Crews nearly have finished the access road off the Fuller Road that will be used exclusively for public safety vehicles, Deschene said. A new septic system also is nearly in place.

Once the building is complete, the exterior will be red and tan, while the interior will feature gray and green colors.