Crest, North Wildwood move forward on Construction Office
Nov, 11-2009 5:35 pm
By Carole Mattessich
Staff Writer
WILDWOOD CREST – Last week, the governing bodies of both Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood took the formal steps necessary to establish their new construction offices and share certain construction-related services, as they prepare to end their relationship with the Construction Office of the Wildwoods (COWCO) at the end of the year.
Patrick Malia, of Absecon, was identified as the new construction official both towns will share. Malia has 13 year of experience as a municipal construction official in Atlantic City, first as a subcode official and then as the construction official, and before that he worked in the casino construction industry in Las Vegas, according to North Wildwood Business Administrator Ray Townsend.
Both municipalities have agreed to hire a new construction official and a technical assistant in connection with their new construction offices, and to contract with a third party for additional subcode officials.
Each town will pay $35,000 toward the construction official’s salary as a part-time employee, and the technical assistant will be hired by North Wildwood, with the Crest reimbursing up to 20 percent of his or her services through March 2010, and North Wildwood paying in full after that time. North Wildwood is designated as lead municipality for contracting with a third party to perform on-site inspections and plan reviews.
The RFP for the third-party contract is now available on North Wildwood’s website, northwildwood.com, providing for a two-year contract, with two one-year options, for plumbing, electrical, fire and building subcode work. A mandatory pre-bid meeting for that process will be held Nov. 10 at North Wildwood City Hall.
In Wildwood, Mayor Ernie Troiano said the city probably will move its construction office into city hall and “probably” will put the building in which COWCO was housed up for sale.
Troiano noted that Commissioner William Davenport, who has oversight responsibility for the construction office, will be responsible for negotiating the salary of current Construction Official Glenn Franzoi, who is paid approximately $100,000 yearly for his current duties.
“I’m sure there’d be some consideration of the reduced duties,” Troiano said.
