Church hall work could be re-bid

Hazle Township Municipal Authority wants to shop for a better price before converting the former Sacred Heart Church hall into a new office and meeting rooms.

The authority board voted unanimously Wednesday to reject bids for the church hall renovation project after costs for general construction, plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) exceeded $484,000. "Optional" building systems and solar panels would have increased costs to nearly $900,000.

Directors had little to say prior to rejecting the prices, with board Chairman Eugene Rafalli announcing that officials would re-evaluate the project size.

"It was too high a figure," Rafalli said. "We'll see if we can get a better price."

The authority board will likely re-bid the project after accountant Richard Kline reports back with options for refinancing authority debts, Rafalli said. Refinancing would ensure that the church hall project will have no impact on rates, Rafalli said.

"We are not going to make our customers pay anything more," he said.

The authority will also consider "different options" for upgrading the former church hall in Harleigh, he said.

The original project scope included a "green" component, such as solar panels, which will be evaluated in the future.

Forest Hills resident Richard Wienches, who has on several occasions publicly scrutinized the authority board over the project costs, did not attend Wednesday's meeting when the bid rejection vote was cast.

Officials said the church hall project would build new office space, meeting rooms and a storage area at the 5,000-square-foot building. Plans originally included adding new heating and air conditioning units and other upgrades that will allow officials to heat only parts of the building that were in use. At one point, officials discussed the possibility of sharing space at the renovated church hall.

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Church hall work could be re-bid