ESSEX — The town has received proposals from six companies seeking a contract to subdivide land on Conomo Point south of Robbins Island Road.
But the proposals for carving up the subdivisions range in cost from a Boston firm's bid of $70,560 to a New Hampshire company's $229,440.
Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said the final choice will be made based on overall value, so the lowest bidder may not automatically get the contract. Both the price and approach outlined by the consultant will be taken into consideration, he said. According to the request for proposals — first posted Aug. 25 in Town Hall and online — the town is scheduled to choose a consultant Oct. 20.
Zubricki said 38 companies picked up the proposal request, and 10 sent representatives to a site visit last month.
The six companies that submitted proposals were Oak Engineers of Newburyport, with a cost of $88,300; Cuoco & Cormier of Nashua, N.H., with a cost of $229,440; Howard Stein Hudson Associates of Boston, with a cost of $70,560; BSC Group of Boston, with a cost of $161,755; Beals & Thomas of Southborough, with a cost of $199,988; and Horsley and Witten Inc. of Sandwich, with a cost of $87,055.
The annual Town Meeting on May 5 authorized hiring a company to subdivide the land south of Robbins Island Road and to draw new lot lines to maximize the lots' values.
In 2007, estimates showed that the sale of lots south of Robbins Island Road could bring $14 million, not including lost revenue and expenses. However, it has not yet been determined if the land is going to be sold. Authorization for sale would have to be given by Town Meeting vote.
Selectman Mark Lynch, who is also a member of the Conomo Point Planning Committee, said the number of proposals received was a positive and the town has "quality firms to choose from."
Rolf Madsen, chairman of the Conomo Point Planning Committee, declined to comment on the proposals, saying he had not seen them yet.
Lynch said the Conomo Point RFP subcommittee will schedule a meeting to narrow down the field and choose companies to interview. The subcommittee will then make its recommendation to the larger committee, who will take the recommendation to selectmen.
However, the project still has to be funded.
"We still have to figure out how much money we can allocate," Lynch said, noting the proposals cover a wide cost range.
He said the proposals have not been reviewed in detail yet, so it is premature to say why there is such a variation in cost or to give summaries of the proposals.
Money to pay for the project will have to be appropriated during a special fall Town Meeting. If money is raised, selectmen will enter into a contract with the chosen consultant.
Residents have been leasing parcels of the town-owned Conomo Point for decades, but a Town Meeting vote in 1999 decided the leases would not be renewed when they expire in 2011. Since then, the future of Conomo Point has been the focus of debate.
Two articles proposing that the land be sold before the leases expired were rejected by Town Meeting in 2007. The first proposed that land south of Robbins Island Road and plots on Robbins Island and Beach Circle be sold. A second article, which was placed on the warrant by citizen petition, authorized the sale of land south of Robbins Island Road only.
So far, the land south of Robbins Island Road has been the only area on which the Conomo Point Planning Committee has reached a consensus.
Amanda Flitter may be contacted at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com.
