Site work begins on Milo Public Safety Building

MILO — Ground is about to be broken and foundation work will start on the $7.2 million Milo Public Safety Building. 

The town has a contract signed with Sheridan Construction Corporation of Fairfield and the USDA is recommending Milo have builder’s loss coverage, Town Manager Robert Canney said during a Sept. 10 meeting of the select board.

Sheridan has builder’s loss coverage but the town is looking into having its own plan to cover incidents of theft, vandalism and extreme weather for “before we take possession, it protects the investment,” Canney said.

The plan is for ground to be broken the first week of October and then foundation work can begin.

Maine Earth of Hampden has been hired by Sheridan Construction as a subcontractor and the company is building an access road off the Gerrish Road.

This summer the price for the public safety building was reduced by more than $900,000 to get within the $7.2 million budget while allowing for contingencies. Staff Engineer Keith Ewing of Plymouth Engineering negotiated with Sheridan Construction with Milo’s fire, police and public works department heads involved. 

Sheridan Construction was the low bidder at $7.6 million with all the submissions coming in over the $7.2 million price tag. The project needs to be within budget per USDA requirements. 

Construction is expected to take 17-18 months.

The new building will house the fire, police and public works departments. Milo can spend up to $6,375,000 in USDA funds for the public safety building, which will be located at the business park, less than a mile from the 100-year-old town hall where the fire and police departments are currently located.

Plymouth Engineering has met with town officials and department heads to design each department’s section of the facility. The engineering firm estimates the building, groundwork and engineering costs to total $7,200,758, or $825,758 more than what Milo has available in project funding. To make up the difference, residents approved a line of credit not to exceed $825,758 to cover costs above and beyond the $6,375,000 at a special town meeting. 

In other business, the select board opted to sell the lots at 64 and 68 Main St. as one parcel, totaling just over a half acre, and reduce the asking price to $25,000 with DeWitt-Jones Realty.

The lots have been for sale for several years, following the partial collapse of the Masonic building roof which led to the structure being demolished. The list price was $50,000 for both lots. Combining the two into one would be done by the new owner with the registry of deeds.

“They are odd-shaped lots anyway,” Canney said. He said there is not really adequate space to buy one lot and develop it without also doing something with the other lot.

“I think the board would really like to have someone come in and invest in a new business,” the town manager said.

Canney said the town will not recover its $100,000 in legal fees, demolition and taxes, but a business owner would start paying property taxes on their land.

“At this point we I think everyone in town would be happy to see that developed into something good,” he said.