Fire department building committee seeks OPM, aims for spring construction and under-$8.3M target

HAMPTON, July 21, 2025 — The Hampton Fire Department building committee outlined next steps for the proposed combined renovation and new construction of the town’s fire station, asking the Select Board to approve issuance of a request for qualifications (RFQ) for an owner’s project manager (OPM) and to permit a smooth transition into final design and bidding. Craig, speaking for the building committee, said the committee plans to adapt a successful RFQ template used by a neighboring project and “get that person selected” quickly so the OPM can help guide final design and bidding. Committee members identified two immediate needs: selecting an OPM and deciding whether to continue with the architect who completed the initial design work. ``It'd be our goal to stick with the firm that did everything, all the work up to this point to have them do the rest of it,'' the committee noted, but the committee also confirmed that selection of the architect would be made through the normal selection process once the OPM is retained. Committee members and Select Board members discussed schedule and price. The town previously voted to approve a project amount “not to exceed $8,300,000,” and committee members said they intend not to exceed that figure. The committee estimated a 4–5 month window to get to bidding after an OPM is on board, and an overall construction timetable of roughly 12–14 months subject to final phasing decisions. Committee members emphasized opportunities to reduce cost — for example, eliminating a separate landscape architect — and said contingency decisions would first be vetted by the building committee and then brought back to the Select Board if additional town funds were required. The committee also raised operational questions about maintaining fire coverage during construction. The committee discussed phased construction (building the new section first so the department can move into it before demolishing old bays), temporary storage of vehicles and equipment off-site, potential use of trailers or shared facilities, and the inclusion of two cisterns (a smaller cistern for sprinklers and a larger one sized to fill trucks). On insurance and ISO rating, the committee clarified that adding water supply (hydrants) is the primary driver for lowering the town’s ISO rating; the station project alone will not necessarily change the ISO rating without improved hydrant coverage. The board asked staff to proceed with drafting the OPM RFQ and to return to the Select Board with the RFQ for publication; no formal vote to commit additional town funds occurred at the meeting. The building committee also requested that the town make asbestos-abatement funds available to allow abatement work to start before project appropriation issues move into free cash, and staff confirmed asbestos abatement had been budgeted within project line items but could be refined. Ending: The committee said it would refine the RFQ and bring a draft to the town administrator for publication within one to two weeks; the Select Board reiterated that the OPM must be on board before final design can begin under state law and that the committee should return with recommended next steps.