The Harpswell Select Board has approved a recommendation to have a contractor remove the concrete slab of the former administration building at George J. Mitchell Field, which was demolished in December.
The board voted 3-0 to authorize the removal at its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 8. The town initially held back on removing the slab to save money, but later determined it had the needed funds available.
At the meeting, Deputy Town Administrator Terri-Lynn Gaudet said contractor Lakeside Concrete Cutting had completed the building’s demolition and was offering to remove the slab and all other elements of the foundation at a cost of about $40,000.
Voters approved the Cold War-era naval building’s removal in June with a maximum budget of $230,000. Lakeside’s winning bid for the project was $144,000, leaving a balance of about $86,000. Nearly half that amount will be applied to the slab’s removal.
“They’re not charging us for mobilization, as they’re already there (at the site), so this is a savings to the town,” Gaudet told the board.
Mitchell Field Steward Don Miskill said the waterfront area of the town-owned park remained an active construction site and was still closed to the public as of mid-January. The entire park is closed to vehicles because of a lack of parking.
To complete the slab removal, crews must move fill material from along the North Perimeter Road, requiring a temporary closure of the road near the generator building. Pedestrians won’t be allowed in the area while that work is underway.
Once the foundation is removed, the site will be filled, graded, loamed and seeded, converting the former building footprint to grass. The parking area around the building site will remain.
Miskill said the adjacent town boat launch project is nearing a winter pause, with ramp planks expected to be installed by the end of January.
The town plans to reopen as much of the waterfront as possible during February and March, before contractor Wyman & Simpson Inc. returns to finish the job in April and May.
