Trustees Approve New Electric Service for Finley
The nearly five decade old electrical service at J. Taylor Finley Middle is set to be replaced now that Huntington School Board members have given the project a green light.
The work is expected to cost $84,000, which will be covered by monies transferred within the current year's budget. "We feel that this replacement cannot wait until the next budget cycle as the situation is fairly tenuous at Finley," said David H. Grackin, assistant superintendent for finance and management services.
Need for the project was evident after Finley experienced a major electrical service interruption last spring. "Because of an interruption in LIPA service, several motors in one of the boiler rooms went on fire and created a smoke condition in the building," Mr. Grackin said. "Students were evacuated to the high school and classes resumed at Finley the next day. During the follow-up to this particular incident, LIPA and district contract electricians noted that the electrical service needed to be replaced."
The district has retained the architectural firm Burton Behrendt Smith to help design the bid specifications for the project. Bid advertisements were posted on October 17. A pre-bid conference and walk-through was conducted by school maintenance crew leader George Austin on October 23. A total of 13 different firms submitted bids, which were opened on November 1.
"The architects at Burton Behrendt Smith have assisted the district in analyzing the results," Mr. Grackin said. Trustees awarded the bid to MMJ Electrical, Inc.
"The transformer has already been ordered from LIPA and we are ready to proceed with this project," Mr. Grackin said.