State Mandates Fire Suppression System; High Bids Rejected; Theater Company Waits

CAPE MAY – The City of Cape May is under a mandate from the state Fire Prevention Bureau to install a fire suppression system in the city-owned building which houses Cape May Stage. 
What has already been a long process just got longer when city council, Feb. 20, rejected the two bids it received for the project.
The likely result is that Cape May Stage, whose season begins in April, will not have the system installed until after its 2018 season ends.
City Manager Neil Young explained that bids were $70,000 higher than the engineering estimate and higher by an equal amount than the funds the city had budgeted.
Cape May Stage is a professional equity theater whose home is the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on Lafayette Street. The historic building is owned by the city which has a long-term lease with Cape May Stage. 
Each year, residents and visitors enjoy theatrical performances in the playhouse’s intimate setting.
The city is seeking to provide fire protection in a manner that preserves “the historic character of the building and its façade.”
The plan calls for the installation of “a fire sprinkler system in the building interior,” according to the 2017 resolution that awarded the project’s engineering services.
The lack of an appropriate fire suppression system violates state fire code and the city had agreed to have a new system installed before the start of this year’s season.
According to Young, the city sent a letter to the state in August detailing its planned installation and seeking assurance from the Fire Prevention Bureau that the proposed plan would satisfy the state requirements.
Responding to a question from Council Member Patricia Hendricks, Young said the state did not respond to the city’s letter until December, delaying the bid process.
When the bids were finally opened Feb. 13, the $70,000 gap between the lowest bid and the city-allocated funds led to the move to reject the bids and rebid the project.
Several complications flowed from the bids’ rejection.
The city must gain approval from the state to delay the bid process to the fall of 2018 with planning construction to start no earlier than January 2019.
This is a reality that arises from the stage company’s 2018 performance schedule.
Cape May County must also agree to extend the deadline for using an open space grant for the project which otherwise would have ended by the end of February.
The city must also gain the cooperation of Cape May Stage for the delay of a year in the system installation.
On that last point, City Solicitor Frank Corrado explained that he had spoken with the attorney for Cape May Stage.
Corrado assured the council that Cape May Stage would cooperate with the city with the hope that the city will have a design and bid process this second time that results in bids the city can move forward with in the fall.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.