Commissioners approve continuing SMP/Harvey consulting agreement as McLeod renovation talks continue

The Merrimack County commissioners voted to continue an agreement with SMP and Harvey Construction for further assessment and consulting work related to the proposed McLeod Building renovation.

County Administrator Ross Johnson summarized a team meeting with the architect and construction manager and sought board permission to continue with the consultants for a fee of $59,500 to support work through December (staff said consultants could extend support to March if needed). The additional scope includes updating cost analyses, clarifying when immediate infrastructure failures (electrical, plumbing, roof drains) could occur and providing short‑term cost estimates to justify urgency to the delegation.

Ross Johnson said the team wants to focus subsequent outreach on a targeted subset of the county legislative delegation and use the executive committee in May to identify which delegation members to engage. He recommended holding the project presentation separate from the regular budget handoff to avoid competing agenda items. Commissioners discussed project size and structural constraints; staff noted the existing building cannot be easily or economically expanded vertically and that alternatives (off‑site expansion) would require separate cost/feasibility analysis.

Commissioner David Shurtleff and others urged continued outreach and a focused plan to secure delegation buy‑in. The motion to approve the consultant continuation fee carried by voice vote. Staff will continue engagement with the executive committee and the architect to refine costs and timeline.