Approved bids include $12K for consulting energy manager

Barrington Town Council approves bids for fire dept., consultants, more

By Josh Bickford
Posted 1/24/23

The Barrington Town Council approved $365,671.29 in bid requests during its Jan. 9 meeting.  

The bids ranged from $268,621 on the high end to $11,400 on the low end.  

• BAY …

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Approved bids include $12K for consulting energy manager

Barrington Town Council approves bids for fire dept., consultants, more

Posted

The Barrington Town Council approved $365,671.29 in bid requests during its Jan. 9 meeting. 

The bids ranged from $268,621 on the high end to $11,400 on the low end. 

• BAY Team: Denise Alves, the director of the Barrington Prevention Coalition, asked the council to approve a part-time position for a communications assistant for the BAY Team. The position includes a contract for $11,400, although all the funding will be provided by the RI Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. BAY Team officials reviewed résumé submissions and selected Jennifer Little for the position. The council approved the request, 5-0. 

• Fire department: Barrington Fire Chief Gerald Bessette told council members that the department needed to purchase new self-contained breathing apparatus equipment. According to a memo to the council, the existing equipment can no longer be certified for use. Chief Bessette told councilors that the existing equipment was three generations behind what is currently available. The new equipment meets and exceeds NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards. 

Bessette said the new self-contained breathing apparatus equipment costs $268,621; the department conducted a year-long review of all available equipment and recommended Barrington purchase the items from Shipmans Fire Equipment Co. Inc. (Waterford, Conn.) 

The chief said he had tried to off-set the cost of the new equipment with federal grants, but was unable to obtain the grants. Chief Bessette said the funding would come from the Fire Capital Equipment Account. The new equipment is expected to last approximately 15 years. 

The council approved the request, 5-0. 

Chief Bessette also asked the council to approve the purchase of a new “Rescue Power Cot,” which would assist firefighters while lifting patients into rescues. Barrington’s Rescue 1 has a power cot, but Rescue 2 still has a manual cot. 

Chief Bessette said the power cot costs $49,831.29. The funding would come from the Fire Capital Equipment Account.

The council approved the request, 5-0. 

• Planning, Building and Resilience: Town administration requested the council approve an expenditure of $12,000 to pay for a year-long contract with a consulting energy manager. In 2022, the state paid the contract for the energy manager, Kathy Stanley, who worked with the Barrington municipal government and the school department. Stanley’s work reportedly included leading the effort to switch all lights in the public schools to LED and assisting with the Bay Spring Community Center’s solar energy project. In 2023, the state is not funding the energy manager’s work, leaving cities and towns the option of continuing her contract at their own cost. Council members voted 5-0 to approve the request. The funding for the energy manager’s contract will come from the Climate Mitigation Capital Reserve Account.

• Police department: Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia asked the council to approve an $11,519 bid for new equipment for a new police cruiser. The bid includes installation of the purchased equipment and the transfer of usable equipment from an older vehicle. The equipment will be put in a 2022 Ford SUV hybrid Utility Police Interceptor vehicle. The council voted to approve the bid, 5-0. The money for the bid will come from the Capital Auto Replacement Account.

• Engineering consultant: Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey said the firm VHB in Providence would provide consulting services to develop a Complete Streets strategy for improvements to Lincoln Avenue, between Washington Road and County Road. VHB had submitted a bid of $12,300 to complete the work, which included conducting a field-walk along the length of Lincoln Avenue to identify and document constraints which may include utility poles, stream crossings, private party; prepare a large-scale graphic showing the project limits; creating a conceptual plan, and other tasks. Hervey said the funding for the contract would come from the town’s Capital Reserve Account.

The council approved the bid request, 5-0. 

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