The Marblehead Municipal Light Department met Tuesday night to discuss recent and upcoming matters, including key milestones for the longstanding Village 13 project.
At a meeting held about a year ago, the department reviewed plans for the new substation, initially expected to be completed by spring or early summer 2025. However, due to a delay in the shipment of the switchgear, construction has also been delayed, with the completion date now pushed back to fall 2025.
The board attributed the shipment delay to a vendor issue involving Michael Barrett, principal at PLM, the electric power engineering firm managing the project.
Attendees expressed dissatisfaction with the revised timeline. One participant said, “It seems sloppy to me to not have anticipated this,” while another commented, “It’s disappointing.”
One of the primary concerns is construction timing, especially with winter approaching. The board plans to pause work on the substation from December through March due to weather constraints, though they added this may change if the winter is mild.
Weather will continue to impact the project timeline during both winter and summer. In the winter, low temperatures can prevent cement from being poured, a critical step in construction. In late summer, high temperatures pose risks for working with circuits, which could lead to electrical shocks, fires, or equipment damage, potentially causing further delays.
In terms of logistics, the construction must be completed before the switchgear arrives. If the switchgear is ready and shipped before construction finishes, the board would need to arrange storage, which they indicated would be the least desirable scenario.
In addition to construction and shipment delays, the board noted that the original timeline projected the construction contract bid would go out in March 2024. During Tuesday’s meeting, however, the board announced the contracts would now go out for bid this coming week.
While frustrated, some attendees also expressed confusion over the delays in the bidding process. The board responded that the project’s complexity requires careful planning, with only one opportunity to complete the job correctly.
The municipal light board concluded its discussion on Village 13 with plans to award the bid in the coming weeks, after which they will monitor weather patterns to determine the next steps.