Douglas Building Panel Advances Fire Station Bid, Reviews Costlier Demolition Project

DOUGLAS — January 21, 2026 — Douglas Building and Facilities Construction Committee charts path on fire station bid and asbestos demolition. The committee, chaired by Shirley Mazinski, received updates from facilities administrator Matt Wojcik at the January 21 meeting on a range of municipal capital projects. Wojcik said issuing a fire station electrical bid by mid-February is his top priority, with HVAC work to follow only after electrical is complete, and said the project has been redesigned to drop a second backup furnace from the original plans. At 19 Main Street, floor collapses have forced the town to treat the entire demolition as an asbestos remediation, pushing costs from roughly $30,000 to approximately $60,000 — still within the $70,000 state appropriation secured by Representative McKenna, though now requiring a formal bidding process. An all-hazards environmental study at the former Buckeye building at 104 Main Street came in at about $6,000. The highway barn project remains stalled pending engagement of a state-required Owner's Project Manager, with Wojcik citing an ongoing fee dispute with consulting engineer Weston and Sampson and calling the OPM mandate "a pinata for the industry."