FARMINGTON — The construction contract for Brookside Village Apartments, a low-income senior housing project, is open for bidding after a month of project delays.

Project architect Herb Semple said the project, a mile from the downtown on Fairbanks Road, Routes 4 and 27, will be open for bids from construction firms until Feb. 22.

Semple, who works for the Portland office of AMEC Engineering, said the apartments will be heated with a photovoltaic system as a cheaper alternative to oil.

Developer Byron Davis, doing business with Bill Marceau as Farmington Land LLC, said he expects the construction contract bids to be more than $3 million.

The 32-unit housing project was cleared by the water department earlier this year, after the town expressed concern that runoff from the apartment complex could contaminate Farmington’s water supply in the wellhead protection zone.

As a safety measure, the developers agreed to build a monitoring well to test quarterly for pollutants at the site, which was once the site of a mill.

Advertisement

The developers have already received the bid for the infrastructure work, which is being contracted out separately and paid for by a grant from the town. Pinkham and Greer Consulting Engineers, in Portland, will be building the infrastructure, which includes utilities and extending the road to the apartments.

The complex is intended for people with low incomes who are 62 and older or have disabilities. It’s also being funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, low-income housing tax credits and Maine Housing.

Semple said construction is expected to start in early spring, but a timeline for completing the project will not be set until after the bidding process.

Kaitlin Schroeder– 861-9252
kschroeder@mainetoday.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.