Strafford County plans RFP for 10,000-square-foot warming center on county land; three cities would fund construction

County commissioners discussed a plan to construct a 10,000-square-foot emergency warming center on Strafford County property behind the county jail and to issue a request for proposals to build the facility.

The county will act in a fiduciary capacity to administer the contract between the operator and the county while the three municipalities — Dover, Rochester and Somersworth — have agreed in concept to pay for construction and to own the building. The commissioners said the seasonal shelter will operate under roughly the same conditions as last year and will be open Nov. 15 through April 15.

The commission’s chair (identified in the meeting transcript as the speaker leading the discussion) said the county will put out an RFP asking for the “cheapest way you possibly can” to meet the specifications of a simple, austere building with beds, bathrooms, showers and laundry. The chair said a concept plan (paid for by the municipalities through the county) is complete and that the county hopes to issue the RFP within about 30 days, gather responses and then brief the county delegation.

Estimated construction cost ranges discussed by commissioners were between about $250 and $400 per square foot, depending on design and materials. Commissioners said the municipalities have agreed to contribute equally to construction costs, although the plan still requires each city council’s formal approval; the mayors and city managers have approved the concept but have not yet taken it to their councils.

The chair said the cities would pay for construction and that “there would be no county money involved in the actual construction of the building,” although county staff time and administrative oversight would be provided by the county.

Commissioners also discussed using proceeds from the sale of the current shelter building to offset construction costs. The current shelter operator’s name was not stated in the public transcript; the transcript refers to “the vendor that ran the shelter last year” and to plans for the operator to continue running the seasonal shelter until the new facility is built.

Commissioners noted prior attempts to repurpose part of an old nursing home for a warming center failed when a prior funding effort did not secure the necessary two-thirds approval from the county delegation. Because no politically acceptable alternate site was identified in earlier searches, the county offered the old Humane Society site behind the county jail as a potential location.

A commissioner urged speed so outgoing mayors who support the plan can seek council approval and bonding before leaving office. The chair said if any city council rejects the plan the municipalities would have to proceed separately — an outcome commissioners warned would be far more costly to taxpayers.

At the start of the meeting, commissioners approved the minutes of the Sept. 4 meeting. The motion to approve the minutes was moved by Commissioner Levinson and seconded by the chair; no roll-call tally was provided in the public transcript and the motion was recorded as approved.