Finance Committee - 4/18/2018 Page 7
From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Amherst Street & Broad Street Sidewalk Repairs (Value: $414,265)
MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND, CONTINGENT UPON BOARD
OF PUBLIC WORKS APPROVAL, AWARD THE CONTRACT TO LEIGHTON A. WHITE IN THE AMOUNT
OF $414,265. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 160, ADMINISTRATION/ ENGINEERING;
GENERAL FUND
Mayor Donchess
Mr. Dookran would you please summarize the work that is going to be done pursuant to this contract?
Stephen Dookran, City Engineer
Yes thank you Mayor. So this is a project to do two things, one is to construct a sidewalk between the
Somerset Parkway and the entrance to the Somerset Plaza on Amherst Street. We want to get the sidewalk
done. We had some money given to us by private development to do that and we want to get it done prior to
paving the street. The other part of the project is to construct or reconstruct handicap ramps on Somerset
Parkway, Amherst Street and Broad Street, three streets that are part of a paving program funded by the
federal highway. It is required that handicap ramps need to be ADA complaint prior to paving the street. So
we took the opportunity to move ahead and get the contract in place so that we can pave the street later on.
We are preparing bid documents to put that paving program out in the next couple of weeks.
Mayor Donchess
Discussion?
Alderman O’Brien
One of the little historical highlights there is the old horse fountain that’s the intersection of Amherst and Broad
Street and | would imagine that we are going to take great care to make sure that little gem stays here. | think
it was purchased historically by the Children of Nashua to their four-legged friends. So | go by and comically
think of a by-gone era when the horse used to go and have a drink there. So I’d like to make sure it’s still in a
prominent position.
Mr. Dookran
Yes we will avoid the fountain.
Alderman Laws
So yesterday Beer with the Mayor, one of the largest concerns that we heard about were pedestrians not
having bike paths. Is that something we should consider before we go ahead with this project? Because one
of the problems with Main Street is that we didn’t consider that before we put in the sidewalks and now people
wish that there were bike paths? It might be late to the game.
Mr. Dookran
Right, just understand what the project is, there are existing sidewalks and the requirements is that all the tip-
downs, handicap tip-downs existing ones, have to build to ADA standards. So it’s a reconstruction of the tip-
downs. This project is not touching the street itself, the pavement. If you were putting in a new sidewalk
altogether, consideration should be given, can you widen the street to put a bike path or bike lane prior.
Because this project is primarily tip-downs, existing ones, no we wouldn't be considering that at this point.
