Falls Township has awarded intent to two separate companies in an effort to restore and revitalize Three Arches.
The board will spend nearly $100,000 to complete the project – with nearly $11,000 going towards exterior painting, and the remainder going to a restoration company, which is highly trained in restoring historical structures.
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The board first looked at seriously restoring the property back in 2014, when they met with Wesley Sessa of 18th Century Restorations Inc. at the Three Arches building on Trenton Road.
At the meeting, Sessa pointed out a number of issues with the property, including loads of leaky windows, broken shutters, roof issues which were causing leaks into the second floor, and cosmetic changes needed for building upkeep. While Sessa prepared a proposal for review by the board at an October 2015 meeting, reluctance by the board to pay a premium price for his services kept them from signing off on the project.
While the painting services went out to bid, since they are not considered specialty services, all bidding contractors needed to be recognized by the State of Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and needed to have required expertise in carpentry, masonry and roof work.
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The board then advertised the building restoration project as a proposal, which did not require they accept the lowest responsible offer and allowed each contractor to visit the site and come up with their own specification sheet for work that needs to be done.
“Sometimes this work is just too tedious. You have to be a company of a particular size to be able to make it through quite an endurance test. And of course, you have to have the skill set and the track record,” said Sessa, who said he often bids on projects and waits at pre-bid meetings for other viable contractors to show up.
The board, after receiving one painters bid, will require that Croydon based Castle Painting & Repair contractors work hand in hand with those from 18th Century Restoration, ensuring the building is cared for in the utmost respect.
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“It really has a lot of history and we’re hoping it will have more of a centerpiece for the township,” said Chairman Bob Harvie upon rewarding the bids.
According to Sessa, depending on the fluency of work between his company and the project painters as well as events occurring inside the building, the project could take as long as sixth months to complete.
