With the support of the voters and with the money assured, the town of Belgrade is moving forward in building its new Town Office.

Requests for proposals for the work, including a general contractor, concrete, electrical, plumbing, and site work, have been sent out; although town officials say the electrical and plumbing work will be done by people already under contract to do those jobs for the town.

Other requests for proposals to do paving, landscaping, well-drilling and to provide an electronic sign have gone out as well, and the Board of Selectpersons will handle those directly.

Bids will be opened at noon Sept. 11 and reviewed by the board at their regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15.

The town’s attorney, Lee Bragg, is doing the legal work for the bonding because the general contractor has to be bonded for any town project costing over $125,000, said Greg Gill, town manager.

The construction project, which was approved Aug. 29 at a special town meeting, calls for spending up to $1.2 million on a 5,000-square-foot building and related improvements in the town’s former gravel pit off Route 27. Along with approving the construction and funding, voters agreed to allow selectmen to seek bids from subcontractors to work on the project from among local contractors first; then, if no local bids are deemed acceptable by selectmen, to seek bids from out-of-town contractors.

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Ernest Rice, chairman of the selectpersons, said at the special town meeting that officials hope work can start by Oct. 1 and be completed within 120 days.

Gill said Thursday that officials hope to have all the site work completed and the roadway, sidewalk and parking lot ready for paving by Nov. 1.

The existing Town Office building, a former restaurant, has limited capacity to host public meetings, accessibility shortcomings and other problems. Selectmen have said that building would be sold to help defray the new building’s cost.

Because the new project will be using Town Pit Road for access, it does not need a new driveway entrance on Route 27, which the state Department of Transportation classifies as a mobility arterial, according to David Allen, the department’s traffic engineer for Mid Coast Region 2.

“Locating it on that existing road allowed them greater access in a confined spot for a number of things,” Allen said.

Mobility arterials, which comprise 15 percent of highways and 85 percent of traffic, cannot have new driveways for governmental facilities, according to a department regulation.

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However, driveways for other, nonmunicipal uses, are permitted.

Allen said that since 2010, for instance, the transportation department issued driveway permits in Belgrade for two homes, 11 businesses (including home businesses), plus one permit to a business for temporary access.

“Additionally, we issued a permit to the town of Belgrade, to upgrade the private road to a town road allowing the development of the municipal facility,” Allen noted.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams


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