Three years after its village hall burned down, the Village of Great Neck is planning to begin construction on a brand new one.
“This is really a historic moment,” Mayor Pedram Bral said.
The Great Neck Board of Trustees unanimously voted at a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6, to award bids to five contractors to build a new village hall.
Great Neck clerk-treasurer Abraham Cohan said multiple bids were submitted for the project, which is split into five construction categories.
The bids were awarded to Construction Consultants of Long Island for general construction, Hirsch & Co. for plumbing, Intricate Tech for mechanical construction, Roland’s Electric for electric construction, and Sky Testing for controlled third-party inspections.
“We actually have a very good team here,” said George Leeman, a representative from Triton Construction involved in the project.
The general construction contract amounts to $10,568,000, plumbing to $790,000, mechanical to $689,000, and electric to $1,530,000. Third-party inspection pay would vary based on the services required for the project, so the final contract payout will be determined once the project is completed.
Bral said a bond is not anticipated to fund the project.
He attributed the high dollar amount to prevailing wages, which are comparable to union wages. This labor payout is required for public projects.
Construction is anticipated to begin shortly after Labor Day and take approximately 16 to 18 months.
The former village hall was destroyed in August 2022, after being struck by lightning. The fire caused devastation to the village hall’s west wing and parts of the east wing.
The board also approved various other projects throughout the village, including new security barricades at the Beth Hadassah Synagogue at 160 Steamboat Road. The rectangular barricades would also serve as planters, which would sit on the property and not the sidewalk.
Trustee Eli Kashi, who is head of security at the Mashadi Synagogue, expressed concern that the rectangular planters could also pose security threats, including concealing individuals or other threats.
“Terrorist attacks these days happen by people, not by cars,” Kashi said.
But the synagogue’s representative said the planters have already been purchased, and that there are additional security measures in place to protect congregants.
Other approvals Tuesday night included the special-use permit for new business Jus by Julie, a family-run juice bar with 15 other locations set to come to 531 Middle Neck Road, an earlier deadline of three weeks for building applications to ensure they are given the required five-day notice in the newspaper, and a 90-day extension of its amnesty program for the closing of 12 expired permits.
The Village of Great Neck Board of Trustees will convene again at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
