Getting their money's worth

Two important projects for the Town of Saratoga—the sale of property to Valley Village Child Care and progress on Never Forget Park—were among the topics discussed by the Saratoga Town Council on February 21.

Going, going, SOLD!

Following a public hearing and an unanimous decision by the Saratoga Town Council, Valley Village Child Care and Excel Preschool will eventually have a new home in what is now the Corbett Medical Building.

During the public hearing, held prior to the regular meeting, several letters of support were from regarding the sale of the building—owned by the Town of Saratoga—to the Valley Village Child Care as a new facility for both organizations.

Jaime Stine, executive director for Developmental Preschool and Daycare center, which is the parent organization for Excel preschool attended via Zoom. Stine said she had previously worked with Will Faust looking for potential options for a new space for their program. She reiterated the Department of Family Services had concerns about the health and safety of the buildings that are currently in use for the preschools. 

With little else in the way of public comment on the sale of the property, the public hearing was closed. During the regular meeting, legal counsel Patrick Brady explained Resolution 2023-05, the agreement between the Town of Saratoga, Valley Village Child Care and Excel Preschool.

Brady reiterated the clause made it clear that in the future, if the facility were to no longer be used for child care or early childhood education, the property would return automatically to the possession of the Town of Saratoga. The clause cannot be negotiated in the future. Councilwoman Beck read the resolution to the council and audience. Council approved Resolution 2023-05, to sign the warranty deed selling the property to Valley Village Child Care for $1.

These documents are available on the Town of Saratoga website. 

Never Forget Moving Forward

WLC Engineering submitted a proposal to revise the previous plans, prepare bidding and contract documents, and provide construction services for Never Forget Park.

The proposal was revised to include sidewalks, wheelchair ramps, pavement surfacing, and parking lot striping in addition to curb, gutter, and gravel surfacing in the parking lot. WLC will prepare a project manual with bidding documents, the agreement, and technical specifications. They will also distribute bidding documents to prospective bidders, host a prebid meeting, and a bid opening, tabulate bids and prepare recommendations for award to the Town of Saratoga. The design services fee is $7,300.00.

They anticipate the construction for the project will be 30 working days. They will handle contract administration by preparing contract documents for execution, hosting preconstruction meetings, attending weekly progress meetings onsite, and evaluating and reviewing change orders. They will also attend substantial completion walkthrough, and prepare punch lists and certificate of Substantial completion. WLC will have a representative do daily site visits when the contractor is working, and prepare documents of contractor’s daily activities and photos of the progress. 

WLC will prepare staking information for field layout, and provide grade control for the culvert. They anticipate four site visits for staking. They will do material testing on subgrade material, base course, density and moisture content, asphalt pavement, and concrete. The fee for construction services is $42,600.00. 

WLC states that they will invoice the Town monthly for time and materials used during that invoice period and will submit revised final plans and project manual for review within three weeks from authorization to proceed. The proposed fees stated for the Design and Construction services are not to exceed value. If the scope of work is significantly altered beyond their control, they will request an amendment to the agreement to adjust the schedule and fees accordingly. 

The council tabled approval until Mayor Chuck Davis could contact WLC with questions. 

Ceiling the hot pool

Councilman Jerry Fluty reported for the Public Works Department.

He said the department received two quotes on spray foam insulation for Hot Pool Changing Rooms. He said the water lines are freezing and that requires the bathrooms to be closed.

The first quote was for approximately $8,000.00 and the second quote was for $5,580.00. An audience member asked why Councilman Jacob Fluty couldn’t do the work. Councilman Jacob Fluty said he didn’t feel comfortable doing that because there would be a profit. Councilman Jerry Fluty agreed, saying it’s a “bad image”. 

The next Saratoga Town Council meeting will be at 6 p.m. on March 7 at Saratoga Town Hall.