Town Getting Fed Up With Fucci

C. J. Fucci and Waterford are having trouble again.

The construction company, which signed an $8.9 million contract with the town for site work on the high school renovation, was the cause of a notice of violation Monday by Environmental Planner Maureen Fitzgerald for “unauthorized discharge of sediment to inland wetlands and watercourses.” Although Fucci made the mistake, the violation order was sent to Superintendent Jerome Belair, as he is the head of the school building project and the responsible party.

“We saw it, and we are in agreement with it,” Belair said. “We’ve been having issues with that contractor and we will be proactive to get this fixed.”

Also, at the school building committee meeting Tuesday night, Fucci proposed a $47,000 change order to move a manhole on the project. This number was “unrealistic,” Buildings and Grounds Director Jay Miner said.

“We will seek more bids on this to remove the pressure off Fucci and his unrealistic pricing,” Miner said. “This ‘hurry up, we need to decide now’ is getting expensive.”

, when Town Planning Director Tom Wagner said Fucci had not adequately protected a wetland. Wagner said Fucci had to fix it. Fucci refused and then stopped working on the project.

In December, the school building committee awarded a for site work involved in the Waterford High School renovation. The bid was $700,000 lower than the next-closest bidder, and approximately $1.1 million lower than the amount originally budgeted.

The Violation

According to Fitzgerald’s complaint, she reviewed the high school site Aug. 15 during a heavy rainfall. During that inspection, she observed the discharge of sediment to the inland wetland and watercourses from three different locations.

Later, the third-party erosion and sediment control inspection firm VHB confirmed these findings, saying sediment had discharged into the wetlands and watercourses, according to the violation.

The discharges violate the terms of the permit, Fitzgerald said.

To fix it, Fucci must create required erosion and sediment controls and other protective actions, according to the notice of violation. Additionally, Fucci must submit a detailed timetable to Fitzgerald for fixing the issues and name a “qualified erosion and sediment control specialist” to develop a plan to stop the sediment from running off, according to the complaint.

The violation will also be heard by the conservation commission Thursday evening.

The Manhole

A manhole was discovered buried underneath the bleachers, and as part of the new plans would land right in the middle of the track, construction manager Gus Kotait said. The question remains about whether the town had it it on the original plans. If not, the town would have to pay for it, or if JCJ Architecture had the plans and did not account for it in its plans, meaning it would have to pay for it. Wagner said the building committee should wait and get that sorted out.

Either way, the manhole needs to be moved, and Fucci submitted a $47,000 change order to do the work. Belair said he would “absolutely” try to get that number lowered by seeking alternative bids.

After the school building committee meeting, Miner said that cost may be overly high, and was interested in seeing other bids. He also encouraged Patch to look at the costs of “prevailing wage” municipalities have to pay contractor employees, where laborers are costing over $40 an hour, he said. (Patch is planning to investigate that issue and have a story soon.)

A vociemail left to Fucci was not returned.