By JOHN SERPA

Alfred Arsenault, treasurer of Marian J. Mohr Library Board of Trustees, stood before the town council Monday night, hoping for some answers.

Preliminary work on the library’s new $7.5 million project had unexpectedly stopped after bills totaling $90,000 from Architect Thomas Lonardo & Associates went unpaid.

Total costs for the preliminary work are estimated at $250,000, which the board said would be paid out of the town’s general fund or through a bond anticipatory note.

Arsenault addressed the council during public discussion of Ordinance 2006-1, which authorizes $7 million in general obligation tax anticipation notes (TAN).

“Does this [TAN] money include the $250,000 to pay the fee for the library project architect?” Arsenault inquired.

Town Finance Director Richard Connors didn’t have a clear answer.

“I’m managing cash flow on a day-to-day basis,” Connors said. “Payroll is my main priority. I’d like to say yes, but I know I could not say yes to all of our vendors if they were here tonight.”

Arsenault also presented a letter to town officials on behalf of board chairperson Joseph Monti which requested payment of all bills associated with preliminary planning.

“As of this date, we have submitted approximately $90,000 to Mr. Connors for payment of services rendered by Mr. Thomas Lonardo & Associates,” the letter reads. “No payment has been made and the submitted bills are over 30 days past due.”

The letter indicated that, following the council’s passage of the $7.5 million construction bond and the mayor’s subsequent signing of the ordinance, the library board instructed Lonardo to proceed with developing construction documents, which he had been working on since mid-October.

The board received word from Lonardo that his firm had ceased work on the new library project Feb. 28.

The cessation of work threatens to derail the project timeline for the initial excavation and site development, which was based on the need to minimize disruption of operations of nearby Ferri Middle School.

In the letter Monti stated that Lonardo would resume work on the project with minimal delay if payment is received within the next week.

“After this, there will be substantial delay in restarting the project because Mr. Lonardo will have to release all the subcontractors, since they have not been paid,” Monti said.

Monti indicated that the board had made a number of unsuccessful attempts to secure payment from Connors.

But Connors said that prior to any issues regarding payment of bills, he requested information and dates for a meeting with Monti, neither of which were provided.

“I requested dates for a meeting with Monti, Town Solicitor Louis DeSimone and myself – but I never received an answer,” Connors said. “In addition, I still have not received a schedule of soft costs for the project, although I have asked several times.”

Connors said he stated clearly in a letter sent in December that he felt there could be problems with the project’s initial stages and subsequent state reimbursement.

“I had a five-year-old contract, and a contract that called for an addition and a renovation,” Connors said. “The last thing I wanted to do was jeopardize $3 million in state reimbursement.”

He indicated state officials could potentially take issue with the age and apparent dual nature of the contract.

Connors said he is now looking at paying the library costs with a bond anticipatory note, due to the town’s current financial predicament.