Changing room construction delayed

By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer

NAPLES – Rainy weather during the last week of September delayed by almost a week the concrete pouring for the foundation of the Naples Town Beach changing-room facility, but now the concrete is in the process of curing and construction is slated to resume by the end of this week, Town Manager Derik Goodine told the Naples Board of Selectmen on Monday.

The board approved two change orders adding up to $350 more for the project, which has been in the planning stage for years and will likely be completed in the next three to four weeks, Goodine said.

During an earlier Sept. 20 Board meeting, Selectman Rick Paraschak suggested someone be on hand to make certain the concrete pour was satisfactory.  The town manager said he did double-check the consistency of the concrete after the pour took place in late September.

At Monday’s meeting, Paraschak recommended that  the town secretary walk over to the site and take several photos with a digital camera to document the progress of the beach-side public facility, which is located about 175 feet from Long Lake on Kent’s Landing property.

When asked about the task on Tuesday, Town Secretary Barbara McDonough said, “Yes, definitely, I’d go over there and take some photos. I’ll contact Rick (Paraschak) and see what he wants me to photograph.”

Paraschak had suggested that McDonough follow up on how the facility takes shape because Goodine will be out of town attending a conference during part of the construction phase.  When finished, the 24 by 22-square-foot building will have five changing rooms with sinks and toilets.

During its meeting, the board backed two change orders brought forward by Goodine: one for different sky lights that cost $300 more than the original estimate, and another for a $50 increase in the cost of bringing electricity to the building.

Goodine said he’d rather spend the extra $50 now, and not have to worry about providing electrical needs to the changing-room facility later on.

“We’ll have it there so we won’t have to upgrade with CMP in the future,” he said. “The sky lights were a change recommended by our engineer. The other ones wouldn’t be readily available, and also have been known to leak.”

A Community Development Block Grant will pay for $56,000 of the $85,350 project designed to offer running-water bathrooms and some changing-into-swimsuit space to people who use the Naples Town Beach. The remaining $29,350 needed to cover the costs will be paid from the town’s Reserve Account, Goodine said.

“We saved up over the years in a reserve account for this project while we were waiting to get the grant. With grants, there’s no guarantee,” he said.

Goodine said the town looked at the options for either drilling a new well or pumping in the water from existing sources. The town opted to drill a new well for the facility, which also bumped up the original price but should be a better decision in the long-run, he said.

Goodine said he has not kicked around the idea of having a grand opening when the facility is done or in the summer when it’s usable, but likely the board will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony in the near future.

Although the facility won’t be heated during the winter of 2010/11, it could be a possibility for winters to come during the peak of ice fishing and ice skating, Goodine said.

But, definitely, during the winter months, the Naples Town Beach road will remain plowed to give ice fishermen access to Long Lake, he said.