Town officials last week approved an approximately $14,000 contract for work done as part of the recently completed New Canaan Police Department renovation and addition project.
The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 in favor of the contract with Trumbull-based KONE Elevators during its regular meeting, held Jan. 6 at Town Hall and via videoconference.
As part of the project, the building’s elevator was “taken out of service,” according to Joe Zagarenski, senior engineer in the Department of Public Works.
“The elevator’s power, telephone and fire alarm connections were disconnected, and then it was treated like a new elevator, so we had to bring in the new services,” Zagarenski said. “We brought in the new telephone, fire alarm and all the connections and the state treated it like it was a new elevator, so it required all new inspections. This work was performed under the service contract that we have with KONE Elevator. Turner [Construction Company] was going to pay for it directly but they didn’t have a contract, so we’ll just use our contracts. I’m asking for authorization to pay for this item from the town’s funds. The funds were transferred from Turner’s contingency back to the town. So it’s a zero-dollar change.”
First Selectman Dionna Carlson and Selectmen Steve Karl and Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contract.
Zagarenski noted that the elevator is “older” though “it has a good 20 years of life left in it.”
“That’s why it was saved,” he said. “But it has new electrical going to it, and it’s got a new controller that we put in it right before it went into renovation. And then the new fire alarm system was tied into it, so all the parts and pieces tied into it are new.”
Following the Board’s vote, Carlson noted that the town has “multiple different elevators” with “different service contracts” and asked why that is.
Zagarenski and DPW Superintendent of Buildings Bill Oestmann said that the town currently is using four different elevator companies.
Responding to Carlson’s question, Zagarenski said, “I think that the easy answer is because we can’t sole-source an elevator. When we bid a project, you can’t just say, ‘I’m going to get a KONE elevator.’ Maybe we would like to do that, but our purchasing policy doesn’t allow us.”
Carlson asked whether the town was equally happy with the different providers.
Oestmann said, “Yes and no.”
“They’re very expensive,” he continued. “I don’t like their hourly rates, but you’re married to them because they’re a manufacturer and if you go outside of using them—which I tried before to use a third party—the parts are mostly proprietary and they gouge it.”
Carlson noted that some elevators—such as the one in Town Hall—have broken down multiple times, and said that the town doesn’t always have to accept the lowest bidder. She asked the DPW officials if they have a preference in the elevator company that the town uses.
Oestmann said that each elevator manufacturer “designs a different size car” when they’re installed.
Carlson responded: “So that’s the answer. You make a decision and you’re married forever.”