Contractor Agrees to Fund, Install Scoreboard at Canton Track and Field Facility

While the official documents had yet to be signed, the general contractor for the Canton High School track and multi-use field project has agreed to purchase and install a scoreboard at the facility at its own cost, town officials said Friday. 

The scoreboard was not in the original scope of the project but the town had planned to use some project surplus to move forward with it. On Friday Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner that Folsom Construction, LLC had agreed to cover necessary site work, purchase and installation. 

That agreement is essentially "in lieu" of liquidated damages, Skinner said. 

Liquidated damages are included in contracts and allow the town to seek payment if requirements, such as deadlines, are not meant.

Many factors come into play under contracts and most importantly, the parking lot portion of the project was finished on time, Skinner said. While the track and field was not completed by the Sept. 21 target date, there were a variety of factors such as weather, a few hold ups on the town's end and a tight schedule, Skinner said. 

In addition to the scoreboard, about a $40,000 project in all, Folsom is donating $10,000, Skinner added.

“We think the result is fair and equal to the town and the contractor,” Skinner said. “We think they did a very good job.” 

"I think that was an equitable settlement," said First Selectman Richard Barlow. 

On Thursday night, The Permanent Municipal Building Committee concurred with the idea and the town will do a "change order" for the work, Skinner said. 

William J. Cunningham, project manager and estimator said the company plans to do some site work over the next several weeks. There is about a four to six-week lead time on the board itself and a subcontractor that specializes in such work will install and test the it, he said.

Barring an especially harsh winter, Cunningham said he feels the scoreboard should be up well in advance of spring sports. 

Cunningham said the company is also happy with the project and felt it worked well with the town and consultant Milone and MacBroom.

“We all came together and worked as a team,” Cunningham said. “Folsom Construction is very proud of the job. We hope the students have many years of enjoyment and good luck on the field and track.

Last fall voters approved bonding $3.6 million for the parking lot, track and field project. Later the project received approval from land-use boards.

Other than the addition of the scoreboard, it is essentially done, Skinner said, adding that there is a “punch list” of minor items. 

Cunningham said those include removing erosion controls, completing paperwork, checking on warrantied items such as tree health and other similar items.

Skinner said feedback during a Permanent Municipal Building Committee Thursday night was positive. 

The committee also discussed other details of the project. The project surplus is still more than $100,000. In late winter or early spring the town hopes to go out to bid for bleachers, another feature that was not in the original scope of the project. 

While a rough estimate for those was $120,000 to $150,000, a group of volunteers is actively fundraising to make up the difference and purchase other items such as track equipment. 

Kristina DiMartino, a member of the Canton Athletic Booster Club who is also working on the Canton Track and Field Fundraising Project, said anyone who is interested can send donations with checks made out to the Canton Board of Education (note track and field project) and send them to Canton High School, 76 Simonds Ave., Canton, CT, 06019).

The building committee also discussed other features of the track. The town had planned to install a 400-foot chain-link fence at a cost of approximately $9,000 for further screening for abutters and to delineate property lines. While the town still plans for some additional screening, Skinner said many neighbors do not want the fence installed.

The town had also planned to use surplus for additional signs and marking but the Public Works Department took care of most of that work, Skinner added. 

Skinner said the town’s public works department took care of many of the signs and markings it had planned to use