By Brian Trompeter
The Vienna Town Council, hoping to make the most efficient use of first-floor space at Town Hall, on Aug. 26 awarded a $337,500 contract to Dewberry Architects Inc. for design and post-construction services for the planned renovations.
The contract amount includes a 20-percent allowance for unanticipated expenses. The project qualifies for American Rescue Plan Act funding because the first-floor area has poorly arranged workstations, staff functions have been realigned and the town has added new employees, such as those working with the Economic Development Department.
Town officials for years have been trying to make better use of space at Town Hall. Options opened up after some Vienna Police Department personnel, who had worked in the building’s first floor, were able to be relocated in the new, larger Vienna Police Station.
The Council in January 2022 awarded a contract to PMA Architects to perform a feasibility study for space utilization at Town Hall. The firm submitted its findings a year later and town officials subsequently made several revisions.
Citing funding constraints, the Town Council at a Feb. 5 work session this year directed staff to move ahead with renovating only Town Hall’s first floor.
Dewberry, which beat out eight other firms for the contract, will begin its design work in September and finish next spring, said Vienna Public Works Director Brad Baer.
“The intent of the project is to refresh and reconfigure spaces,” he said.
The project will have a phased construction sequence and may require some accessibility improvements, Baer added.
While not happy with the architectural fees, Council member Howard Springsteen said moving ahead with the project was important.
“Things have to work,” he said. “We need to get this done. We have to fix that workspace down there.”
Council OKs Canopy-Covered Bins at Property Yard: Aiming to protect building materials from water and sediment, the Vienna Town Council on Aug. 26 unanimously approved a contract for the fabrication and installation of a canopy-covered stockpile bins at the Northside Property Yard.
Accu-Steel Inc. will receive up to $178,425 (including a 25-percent contingency allowance) to perform the work. The existing bins – which basically are three-sided enclosures made from massive stone blocks – are not covered from the elements and are in poor condition, town officials said.
The new canopy-covered bins will protect sand, aggregate and construction spoils that the town uses for repairs of roadway, water and sewer infrastructure. The improved facility also will help ensure water runoff from the site is not contaminated, officials said.
The canopy, which will have a rigid steel frame, will be 120 feet long and 27 feet deep. Its roof will be 26 feet tall at its peak and slope down to 19 feet at the rear.
The town will pay for the project using American Rescue Plan Act moneys.
Council Approves Sidewalk Project on Frederick Street, S.W.: With time running out for spending funds from the Maud Ferris Robinson Charitable Trust, Vienna Town Council members voted Sept. 9 to award a $209,000 contract to A&M Concrete Corp. to build a sidewalk on Frederick Street, S.W.
The figure includes a 15-percent contingency allowance for unanticipated factors.
The contractor will build the sidewalk along the west (even-numbered) side of the street between Tapawingo and Kingsley roads, S.W.
The project will involve 1,000 linear feet of concrete sidewalk, 234 square yards of concrete-driveway entrance, 39 tons of asphalt paving and other miscellaneous items.
Town officials expect the project to commence later this month and wrap up by early November.
Vienna Town Council OKs Sidewalk Along Kingsley Road, S.E.: The Vienna Town Council awarded a contract Sept. 9 for construction of a sidewalk that will connect with an existing section of walkway along the south (odd-numbered) side of Kingsley Road, S.E., between Desale and Park streets, S.E.
Sagres Construction Corp. will install 1,100 linear feet of concrete sidewalk, 1,100 linear feet of concrete curb and gutter, 20 square yards of Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps and 142 square yards of concrete driveway entrance.
The project, which officials expect to start in September and finish by early November, also will involve 217 tons of asphalt paving and other miscellaneous items.
The project’s $363,500 price tag includes a 15-percent contingency amount for unforeseen conditions and increased quantities of materials. The curb-and-gutter part of the project will be covered using $199,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds; the sidewalk elements will be financed using $164,500 from the Maud Ferris Robinson Charitable Trust.
Responding to feedback from neighbors, the Vienna Department of Public Works scrapped an earlier proposal to build a retaining wall along part of the site and instead moved ahead with a design that will narrow the roadway in that section.
Council Renews Historic Vienna Inc.’s Lease for Freeman Store, Little Library: Vienna Town Council members on Sept. 9 unanimously agreed to renew Historic Vienna Inc.’s (HVI) lease for the Freeman Store & Museum and Little Library Museum for another five years.
The agreement is a bargain for the historical organization, which will need to pay the town just $1 per year for the lease.
For its part, the town government will get to continue holding seasonal holiday displays on the grounds (including ones conducted by third parties), perform ground maintenance, and conduct exterior improvements and maintenance on the buildings in accordance with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties.
