Finance Committee - 5/16/2018 Page 10
Mayor Donchess
Sarah Marchant, Community Development Director, is here to explain this and answer any questions. I’m not
sure if we brought this before the committee. This project has been in the works for a while. Would you mind
explaining the need for this contract?
Sarah Marchant, Community Development Director
Hoyle, Tanner & Associates has been our design engineer for the project; this is the connection between the
Heritage Rail Trail that goes behind City Hall here, down Everett Street, across Ledge, to put anewa
pedestrian bridge into Mine Fall’s Park to connect some of our most dense inner city neighborhoods with Mine
Falls Park. We finally made it through a full engineering public process, we have all the permits lined up and
all the approvals. This is a NH DOT grant funded project which requires that we follow a specific local and LPA
program administrative process. With this process we have to have construction engineering monitoring.
So this contract is for Hoyle & Tanner who is our design engineers to continue as our construction engineers.
We followed an original QBS, Qualified Based Services Bid Process with the initial contract and that is why HT
was selected for their overall experience, quality of work and price. So this comes through that process and
follows the LPA processes bid. So we don’t have 3 bids that’s why it is part of the QBS, LPA process. It is
here for your approval tonight.
Alderman Klee
Just a quick question. This is 100% grant right?
Ms. Marchant
Not 100% grant but yes it is 80% grant and 20% city funding but all the money was put aside.
Alderman Klee
Already put aside for it, ok thank you.
Ms. Marchant
| will say we don’t have the construction contract finalized yet and so this wouldn't be signed unless we do but
we are working on that.
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you Mr. Mayor. Ms. Marchant, may | ask a question about the bridge itself. When we open up an area,
which | think we should, this will be a great recreational asset to the people in the neighborhood and all citizens
that would choose to use it. But when you open up something like this to the community, accidents can
happen. Can you just briefly tell us, is the bridge, would it be capable not to handle a fire truck but a light
vehicle or police cruiser to make sure that the area in question where the public has access, similar to what is
in Mine Fall Park Bridges.
Ms. Marchant
Yes absolutely, excellent question — this bridge is actually a non-motorized transportation grant. So it is
intended for pedestrians and bicycles, but it will have the ability to take service vehicles if parks and rec needs
to drive certain vehicles over to do work in Mine Falls Park. So it will have a bollard to prevent everybody from
driving over it but will allow fire and emergency services, yes, not a big fire truck but basic vehicles will be able
to traverse it.
