Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Merrimack County officials present lower cost estimate and financing options for large renovation project
Summary
County staff told commissioners an updated estimate for renovating parts of the county building is roughly under $50 million, outlined a two-stage schedule, discussed consultant and construction fees, and said the project will be taken to a delegation subcommittee for review.
Merrimack County officials told the Board of Commissioners that an updated cost estimate for renovating portions of the county building is now roughly under $50 million, down from prior 55-million-to-60-million projections.
The project team said it will present the estimate to a smaller delegation subcommittee and supply the estimate in the public slide deck so delegation members and the public can review it. Commissioners were told representatives who toured the building were generally supportive but had contractor-style questions about possible cost savings.
County staff said the design and construction plan is expected to be phased. "We're gonna have a year to do architectural design drawings, and then it's gonna be 16, 17 months for construction," the project team said, describing roughly a two-year-plus timeline for design and construction work. The presenters said parts of the building will be phased for occupancy so some areas could be approved for use before the entire project is complete.
An architect from SMP described how the team is treating professional fees in the estimate. "We put all of the architectural engineering and subs services under the soft costs. They're separate from the construction costs, which are the hard costs," the architect said, explaining the 6.5 percent line item covers architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering through design and construction-phase services.
Commissioners and staff also discussed site and parking options. Staff noted earlier consideration of purchasing a VFW property to create additional parking — previously identified as a potential source of 35 to 40 spaces — but said the VFW had been reluctant to relocate and that the property contains concessions and uses the organization values. Staff said they had carried a placeholder estimate of about $1.5 million to develop parking at that site but removed it from the current budget pending further negotiation.
On financing, staff reported they have spoken with bond counsel about multiple financing approaches and said they plan to present borrowing options to the commissioners once the timeline and final numbers are set. The presentation described a preference to allocate a single authorization that can be spent incrementally rather than returning for multiple separate appropriations, but staff emphasized that the Board of Commissioners will execute the borrowing according to the board's direction.
The project team will brief a subcommittee and conduct another on-site walkthrough for delegation members; staff listed a follow-up subcommittee meeting and walkthrough on the county calendar. Commissioners asked for additional contractor-level details for delegation members who requested them.
The discussion was informational; no formal vote on the renovation authorization or borrowing plan was taken at the meeting.
