5/26/2006

The "Roof" !!

What is that thing rising next to the old Town Hall? Oh yeah, it must be the New Town Hall! I don't think I've ever seen so much roof for a one story building. Is there going to be useable space up in that aerie, you know a room or office or two? Or is that all dead space good only for hiding all those skeletons? I'll bet there is more lumber in it, than in the rest of the building. Now if we had put a nice little saltbox roof on there, we wouldn't have had to appropriate all that extra money. And what is the big assed bird house doing up there? I thought that the final plan agreed on by all concerned eliminated that "little" extra? Was that another of those "executive decisions" implemented by the TM on her own hook? Hmmmm? Well at any rate it is humming right along and in the near future, Mr Hutchins favorite trailer park will disappear only to be replaced by an enlarged version of the old Howard Johnson motel/restaurants along the nations high and by-ways TIFN  Posted by Picasa

6 comments:

Everett said...

Don't know where all the underling came from, and don't know how to fix it! SO there!

Sam said...

Oh, that's for the bats, you know, those little furry flying critters. They're also going to put a bell up there in the sticky-uppy thingy.

That way we can all say "they've got bats in their belfry" and nobody will get their feelings hurt!

Now down in Texas here, we have the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat, which we all know is the cause of illegal immigration. What you have up there in New England is simply called the Big Brown Bat, since it consumes large quantities of Naragansett and Genesee beer.

I can see in a few years the shine will come off the "bat mania" as people start getting tired of all the Guano coming out of the new Municipal Building.

Happy Memorial Day!

Anonymous said...

Interesting structure - too bad the foundation isn't paid for yet...

Sam said...

Hmm, I was in construction for 22 years and usually you (as contractor) got money (1) when the foundation was done, (2) when the framing was complete & inspected, (3) after drywall, which covers up insulation, plumbing, & electric, (4) after final punch-out and/or certification of occupancy, and (5) if all goes well, the 10% retainage. Is something amiss here?

Anonymous said...

Something is amiss all right - a contractor who was awarded the bid even though he could not get bonded so the Town dropped the idea of having to have a bond (pay and performance)They did ask for a letter of credit which was also unobtainable and they keep writing him checks so he can pay off the creditors on the last few private jobs he took on. It's enough to make you want to bang your head against the wall. (But it is handy that the contractor has a little coffee klatch every morning with a group that includes Miss Management's husband...)

Sam said...

Oh man, they're treating it like a residential contract. In all my years, in anything municipal you needed a bid bond, a performance bond, cover all liabilities (like insurance for workers and drivers), and agree to 10% retainage. You actually have to pay money first before you make any.

At the end of the day you could make a modest 8-12% profit if you were smart enough to write in "riders" regarding the extra cost of change orders that cost any additional "cost plus" money over what you bid in the specs (and ordering date). I hate to say it, but that's how the industry is supposed to work.

I am not real sure if an unbonded contractor can do municipal work in Rhode Island, and will say no more on that topic. But I will say that bonding is a good idea because it protects the local taxpayers as well as the contractor, since you have an insurance company to fill any inadvertent gaps.

Yep, it's a strange wind that's blowing these days and thanks Good Listener for the input here.