By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Quincy officials have accepted a Rhode Island contractor's $30.8 million bid for the construction of Quincy Central Middle School, with the target completion date unchaged at September 2013.

H.V. Collins Co. of Providence was chosen general contractor on the project. The competing bids ranged from $32 million to $35 million.

Although the bidding was delayed by a successful lawsuit that challenged Quincy's bid practices, mayoral spokesman Christopher Walker said the bid package didn’t have to be redone, but was just kept open longer.

While that slightly shrank the accounted-for contingency time in the construction schedule, it has not delayed things beyond repair, Walker said.

In addition to being on time, the bid came within the construction budget proposed by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which is giving the city an 80 percent reimbursement on majority of the project, Walker said.

According to Walker, the construction budget was slated at $32,607,100 by the MSBA. Collins bid comes in at $30,785,637 and includes subcontractor bids.

Previously, NASDI LLC won a $1,585,000 a contract for additional demolition and abatement. The company also has a final credit for a change order of $245,727, bringing the final construction budget to $32.1 million.

The city has already spent approximately $9 million on site acquisition and demolition, which is not eligible under the 80 percent reimbursement rate.

In addition, $3 million has been placed in a contingency fund. $700,000 will be used for computer and technology equipment, and $700,000 will be used for furniture and desks.

Architectural fees and other non-construction costs are included in the remainder, Walker said.

“They are all reimbursable, but not a part of the $32 million construction budget,” Walker said.

Quincy purchased the former St. Anne’s school, land owned by Eastern Nazarene College, a private home, and a chiropractor's office to make way for the school, which will replace the current school on Hancock Street, built in 1894.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Three charged in drug arrest

Three men were arrested Wednesday night after allegedly dealing drugs in a Quincy neighborhood.

According to police, the Quincy Drug Unit had received calls about drug activity occurring around Roberts Street over the last couple of months. As a result, police set up surveillance in the area.

On Wednesday at 7 p.m., police said they saw the resident get into a car with two other men in it. The car drove around the street, and the suspect jumped out, police said.

When police stopped the suspect, they allegedly found heroin and a bag filled with a white substance believed to be cocaine.

The suspect also had Suboxone pills and $158 in cash, police said.

Police subsequently stopped the vehicle that had dropped off the suspect. The men in the vehicle said they had just been driving around in Quincy to drop somebody off, police said. Police searched the car and found $357 in cash.

As a result, Richard Cruz, 28, from Boston and Miguel Duran, 32, from Dorchester were arrested and charged with conspiracy to violate controlled-substance laws, a school zone violation, and distribution of Class A – heroin.

Darquan Douglas, 18, from Quincy was arrested and charged with conspiracy, two counts of possession of a Class A substance, possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute, and a school zone violation.

Massage worker charged with rape
A Quincy man has been charged with rape after allegedly inappropriately touching a client who came in for a massage.

According to police, a woman and her friend came into the police station at 7:19 p.m. Wednesday saying that they both received a massage at Whole Body Solutions around noon that day. The friend had gone into a private massage area with a female, and the victim with a male.

The male allegedly told the victim to get naked, which the victim said she felt uncomfortable with. The suspect then allegedly inappropriately touched the victim, police said.

Police arrested John Edwards, 45, from Quincy and charged him with rape and indecent assault and battery. Edwards was held without bail pending his arraignment in Quincy District Court today.

Man arrested in cab incident
A Quincy man was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly getting in a confrontation with a cab driver over a fare.

According to police, the cab driver picked up the suspect in Boston and brought him to Quincy. The suspect attempted to pay with a credit card; however, the card was declined.

Police said the suspect then started screaming in the back seat and pounding on the glass, telling the cab driver that he was going to shoot him.

The driver told the man to get out of his car, but the man refused.

Police arrived on scene and found the man sitting in the back seat. According to police, he had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on him.

Police had to struggle to get the man out of the car, and the man allegedly attempted to fight with officers. Police secured the suspect and searched him, but found no gun.

Thomas Fitzgerald, 45, from Quincy was arrested and charged with threatening to commit a crime, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

Weymouth man charged with OUI
A Weymouth man was arrested Thursday morning after allegedly hitting two parked cars while driving under the influence.

Police said that they arrived on scene to find two vehicles with major damage were blocking the roadway. The operator was uninjured, but was shuffling his feet and had slurred speech when officers spoke to him, police said.

The man told police he was coming from a bar, and had only had eight beers over the course of five hours.

Ryan McAllister, 22, from Weymouth was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, operating to endanger, and speeding.

38 Gilmore St. Edward F. Fitzgerald and Norma Fitzgerald to 42 Gilmore Street LLC, $610,000

59 Bay View St. Sau H. Cai to Eric Chen and Xiao Q. Zheng, $368,000

97 Edwards St. #1 Edwards Street Quincy RT and Alan M. Weiner to Raymond C. Po, $345,000

229 N Central Ave. Siu T. Lam and Cindy C. Lam to Bai W. Chen and Ya C. Chen, $333,000

76 Dayton St. Andrea M. Rooney to Morgan J. Fitzpatrick, $318,000

63 Royal St. Ricky Leung-Seto and Irene Chu to Andrew C. Chieu and Yue Y. Liang, $315,000

392 Belmont St. Marie E. Rousseau and Mary E. Garren to Jonathan P. Woodward, $309,000

11 Gilson Rd. HSBC Bank USA NA to Boston XUZ LLC, $250,199

37 Roselin Ave. #2 Judy H. Tonko to Sarah Donohue and John Donohue, $220,000

109 Vassall St. Ingram Barbara V. Est and Gerald E. Holt to Chun H. Ye and Carl W. Rossborough, $201,500

200 Falls Blvd #G104 Erica C. Prussman to Ross M. Dubuc, $194,000

91 Washington St. #17 Ruth A. Desoto and Murial Desoto to Peter Y. Ko and Yvonne Ko, $150,000

52 Spring St. Murphy Margaret M. Est and Albert A. Chiozzi to John Joyce, $90,000

To search for homes for sale in the area, go to www.boston.com/realestate. Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com/bg.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Quincy will employ an independent fire safety consultant to help find a fire chief, following a stern ruling by the Civil Service Commission to re-do the selection process.

In a 60-page decision that came out in September 2011, the commission found the first process to be unfairly biased towards one applicant and mandated that Quincy entertain a more transparent and fair process in choosing the chief.

An Arizona firm, Facets Consulting, will put together a panel of experienced commanding officers from major fire departments across the country to interview, screen, and rank candidates for the fire chief position.

According to a Request for Quotation from the company, the process will cost the city $12,000, money which will come from the city's Human Resources Department. Consultants will come in, gather data about what the city expects from a Fire Chief, conduct interviews, and issue a report.

City officials expect the process to take about a month.

The controversy began with Deputy Chief Gary Smyth approached the commission in 2010 saying that he had been unfairly passed over for the job five times in favor of other applicants, most recently in favor of current Chief Joseph Barron.

After several hearings and months of deliberation, the commission found in favor of Smyth. According to the Civil Service ruling, Barron had numerous ties to Mayor Thomas Koch, who has the final appointing power in the city.

Barron actively supported Koch in the election for mayor, and James Fatseas, Koch’s chief of staff, was longtime friend of Barron and a schoolmate of Barron since junior high.

It wasn’t the first time Smyth had appealed a Quincy Fire Department appointment process. In 2008, Smyth protested when, rather than being selected as chief from a narrow list of candidates, the test for the fire chief position was reissued to bring in more candidates.

Although the commission found that the city was within its rights to do so, at the time the commission suggested that, to eliminate bias, the mayor’s final selection process should be conducted with the use of an outside panel.

Officials ignored that suggestion and did the appointment process internally, ultimately leading to the commission’s ruling to redo the entire process.

As such, Quincy will begin the selection again with an outside panel in the coming weeks.

According to a press release from the city, Virginia Fire Chief Adam Thiel will be chairman of the selection panel, and will be joined by San Antonio Fire Chief Charles N. Hood, and Michael Lombardo, a retired battalion chief from the Buffalo, N.Y., Fire Department.

All members of the panel have experience on fire chief selection committees.

“This is a firm and a panel that has impeccable credentials, and this selection adheres to the wishes of the Civil Service Commission by creating a thorough and independent process,” said Quincy Human Resources Director Stephen McGrath.

The city is still going through the process of appealing the ruling in court.

In November 2011, city officials requested that a judge hold the orders of the ruling until the appeal was complete, however a Suffolk Superior Court judge mandated that the city continue along with the reselection process regardless of any appeals.

Lindsey Buchholz

Robert Buchholz holds his diploma after graduating the top of his class from New England Law School in Boston

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Quincy resident Robert Buchholz graduated as valedictorian of his class from New England Law / Boston last Friday.

Buchholz gave a valedictory address at the law school's commencement ceremony at the Wang Center in Boston.

Buchholz is the editor-In-chief of the school’s Law Review journal. He will be taking the bar exam in July and clerking for the Justice Robert Cordy at the Massachusetts Supreme Court starting in late August.

Robert is a 2002 graduate of the Derryfield School in Manchester, N.H., and a 2006 graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Man charged with attacking friend, and friend's home

A Marshfield man was arrested on Tuesday night after allegedly attacking his friend and his friend’s home, and then fleeing from police.

According to police, officers responded to a disturbance on Bryant Avenue, where someone was smashing car windows. When police arrived on scene, the suspect was running down Route 93 North and had hopped the Jersey barrier to the HOV lane.

The suspect was wearing only his underwear, police said. Police were able to reach the suspect and placed him in handcuffs.

Police said the suspect had been at a nearby home after asking the resident for a ride back to Marshfield. While at the home, the suspect started to freak out, the victim said, punching the victim and damaging the home.

The suspect allegedly broke a bedroom table, smashed a bedroom window, broke off one of the table legs to a table in another room, and started hitting the victim with it. The suspect also threw an end table through a bay window, police said.

The victim ran out of the home to escape, police said, the suspect but the suspect followed.

Police said the suspect then picked up a shovel and started swinging at the victim. The suspect then started smashing car windows and soon fled onto the highway.

The suspect attempted to hijack a car but failed, said police, who eventually chased him down and placed him under arrest.

Police believe the man was under the influence of narcotics.

Clarke A Phillips IV, 25, from Marshfield, was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, several counts of malicious damage to property, two counts malicious damage to a motor vehicle, assault and battery, two counts assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a shovel and table leg), two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

Fishing leads to stabbing incident
Police said a tangled fishing line led to a stabbing incident at Black’s Creek in Quincy on Tuesday night.

Officers responded to Quincy Medical Center at 10 p.m. on Tuesday with reports of a stab victim. According to police, the victim, an Asian man, was fishing at Black’s Creek when his line got tangled with someone else.

The suspect, a black male, 20-30 years old, started calling the victim a racial slur, police said, and the victim started calling the suspect racial slurs in return.

According to police, the suspect told the victim he was going to stab him, to which the victim said, “Go ahead.” As a result, the suspect stabbed the victim in the shoulder and fled from the scene.

Police have not found any suspects.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

According to US Senator Scott Brown, the state is well on its way to improving veteran employment and dealing with a large backlog of claims at the state’s Veteran Affairs office.

In an open forum discussion at the American Legion Post 294 in Quincy on Tuesday, Brown outlined the steps he has taken in the Senate to improve things for current and incoming veterans, many of whom were in the room for the talks.

In addition to introducing legislation that would offer benefits to the families of deceased veterans for three years when a veteran small business owner dies, and introducing legislation to prevent and deal with mismanagement at Arlington National Cemetery, Brown also introduced the Hire a Hero Act of 2011 – signed into law on Nov. 21, 2011.

The Hire a Hero Act creates an incentive for small businesses to hire returning veterans, including members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Brown also co-sponsored the Helping our Homeless Veterans Act of 2011, which would provide housing vouchers and job training to homeless veterans. He also introduced and passed amendments to create a new Office of Service Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

On a more immediate level, the state is also hosting job fairs for veterans, however, “the best way to get people to work is to get our economy working,” Brown said.

Yet job scarcity isn’t the only issue veterans are facing. Both new and old veterans find difficulty submitting claims to Veteran Affairs.

However according to Austin Lord, a constituent services representative that focuses on Veteran Affairs, the state has hired 16 more claims processors who are currently being trained.

Although the training period is lengthy, the state will soon be able to move much quicker -- a necessity, as over 1 million soldiers are about to return from overseas.

Despite the work, even more needs to be done to help veterans in the South Shore, said Tom Stansbury, Department of Veteran Services for Quincy.

“You always want a little more. It’s like everything else. We could get more funding, more housing for the veterans, talking about transportation – they are looking for drivers,” Stansbury said. “I know funding is tough for everybody…and they are doing as much as they can do, but we always want a little bit more.”

Keith Jermyn, the veteran service agent for Hingham, said the main problem he sees currently is in transporting elderly veterans to and from the VA Hospital in Boston.

Yet with a national debt creeping ever higher into the trillions, Brown encouraged Jermyn and others to seek out help locally.

With an upcoming election fight likely against leading Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren, Brown’s visit also prompted discussion of politics.

“I’m focused on who I am and what I’ve done,” Brown said when asked about a recent campaign video showing him at a local haunt. “I’m the second, maybe the first most bipartisan senator in the United States Senate…I’m trying to solve problems.”

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Police have identified a Brockton man as the victim in a fatal accident that occurred at the Harbor Express parking lot on Washington Street on Friday morning.

Freddie Clay, a 42-year-old man from Brockton, was killed when the brakes to his oil truck failed and the truck rolled into the driver, pinning him against a fence, said Lydia Rivera, a spokesperson for the MBTA.

Transit police are continuing to investigate the incident.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

A Braintree Transit Police officer saved a suicidal Quincy man’s life on Saturday after allegedly talking him down from a ledge of the Quincy Adams Parking Facility.

According to the police report, Officer James Clark was patrolling the garage when he reached the roof level (6A) and observed an unknown male who appeared to be visibly upset.

Police reported that the man was crying and sobbing loudly while running across the roof level towards a railing that overhands the garage.

As the man jumped onto the railing, the officer sped over in his cruiser, got out of the car, and yelled at him “Please don’t go over. Let me talk to you for one minute. Just give me one minute of your time,” police wrote in the report.

The victim, a 20-year-old man, told the officer to leave him alone, saying that he didn’t want to live.

The conversation went on for several minutes while the officer tried to calm him down.

According to the officer, during his initial contact with the man, the officer notified dispatch of the situation and asked them to send several police units along with Emergency Medical assistance.

Police arrived on scene while the officer was talking to the man. While the officer was speaking to him, he would signal Quincy police units to move closer when the man was gazing over his shoulder.

Officers got within two feet of the victim when they lunged at him and secured him around his waist and arms.

The man was taken into custody and transported to Quincy Medical Center for evaluation.

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Next winter, the size of Quincy’s salt collection will no longer depend on the weather.

Quincy city councilors approved an appropriation at their meeting Monday for a $163,892 salt shed to be purchased for the Quincy yard of the Department of Public Works.

As such, the city’s salt collection, used on roads throughout the winter to abate problems with snow and ice, will remain untouched by the elements, which used to diminish the supply during rainstorms.

The shed was a contentious issue for councilors in November 2011, when DPW Commissioner Daniel Raymondi initially suggested spending $250,000 from the city’s snow and ice account to purchase a shed.

Councilors were aghast that the city might approve such a purpose when the snow and ice account runs into deficit year after year. Although the city can roll snow and ice deficits into subsequent fiscal years' budgets, the expense is eventually passed on to the taxpayer.

The concern, councilors said at the time, was that the cost for the shed would be borne by the city's residents.

Yet after a largely snowless winter, councilors readily approved a smaller appropriation for a shed, which will increase the city’s salt storage capacity from 1,200-1,500 tons to 3,500 tons.

According to Raymondi, it’s a sound investment for the city.

“We’ve gone to an all-salt strategy so it’s critically important to have an adequate supply of salt, and it doesn’t make sense to have a valuable public access sitting out in the environment,” Raymondi said. “The existing salt shed was no longer safe to have that kind of activity. We’ll be able to store more salt inside the shed, so we can buy it cheaper with more volume. We won’t have to order it as often, and we’re not allowing weather conditions to dissipate a valuable asset.”

Raymondi said that the city would need to do some geotechnical analysis to make sure the area in the rear yard can handle the foundation for the shed. After that, the site will be prepared and a foundation will be poured.

The plan is to have the shed operating by the next snowstorm.

“It will be up by next winter, by the first snow. Unless we get a snowstorm in July,” Raymondi joked.

The snow and Ice account has $167,492 in it prior to the appropriation. Although the $163,000 shed will most of the funds out of the account, a little will be left over.

Councilors unanimously approved the appropriation.