By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The Select Board unanimously accepted a gift in the amount of $13,600 from the Friends of North Reading Parks and Recreation for the reconstruction of KidSpot at its meeting on July 16.
This vote was necessary to fund a shortfall for the contingency on the lone bid for the playground project on Chestnut Street. This playground is specifically geared toward children ages 6 and under. When completed, it will be fully accessible. The original KidSpot did not meet accessibility guidelines as it was created several years prior to the adoption of that landmark bill.
Town Administrator Mike Gilleberto also thanked local engineer Luke Roy of LJR Associates for his in-kind engineering services on this site, saving the town additional expenses.
In a letter to the Friends of NRPR and Recreation Committee members and Parks and Recreation staff shared with the Select board, Interim Operations Director Maureen Stevens stated that action on this matter was “important and time sensitive”
Stevens explained that the lone bid received on June 20 for the base bid of $452,900 plus three alternates for $10,200, $3,700 and $11,150, respectively, total $477,950 and the budget for the playground project was $441,232. The town’s budget came from an October Town Meeting allocation of $300,000; a grant of $65,964; and Parks and Recreation retain earnings of $75,268.
This left a shortfall to fund the base bid of $11,668, her letter stated; however, this shortfall was able to be “reconciled” from the FY24 budget. “The Town Administrator and Finance Director are allowing the use of FY24 monies (FY24 ended 06/30/24) to fund the shortfall.”
In order to provide a 3% project contingency on the base bid they needed an additional $13,587. “These funds would be a gift to the Parks & Rec Gift Account” earmarked for KidSpot project, therefore, if there were not contingencies the funds would remain in the gift account and would be applied toward the alternative bid choices available to them.
Stevens concluded that the bidder, Carolyn Cooney and Associates of Milford, “has been given excellent references, one of them coming from Janet Nicosia, a highly respected North Reading resident/Martins Pond Committee and Director of Public Facilities for the town of Andover.”
In a letter from Cooney to the Rita Mullin of the contingency would be sufficient. “Subsurface investigations in the form of test holes were carried out by the Town and LJR Engineering and no unsuitable soils, ledge or large boulders were encountered. The majority of the construction work is installing manufactured items with relatively shallow footings,” Cooney stated on July 12.
Chair Yoga funds
The Select Board also unanimously accepted a gift in the amount $2,500 from the Friends of North Reading Council on Aging to cover the cost of providing 50 chair yoga classes for the town’s senior citizens in FY25.
In a letter of thanks to the nonprofit group, Senior Center Director Kim Manzelli stated: “Participation in programs continues to increase especially in the exercise classes that are offered. This additional funding will allow us to continue additional outreach to older adults in our community who greatly benefit from the exercise, health and wellness programs offered. Chair yoga classes provide the valuable benefits of socialization, increased flexibility, strength, stress management and better balance.”
