Residents, board debate owner's representative staffing and budget for Scarborough school construction project

The Scarborough post-referendum building committee reported it has convened monthly and is developing governance and communications protocols for the $140 million, five'building school project. Board members said an owner's representative will be hired when construction nears and noted the project budget includes a $150,000 placeholder for that role.

At public comment, Sue Hamill, who has served on earlier building and public safety committees, urged the board to reconsider the scope of the owner's representative. She warned that modern construction projects are complex and said a 10'hour'per'week allocation would not be adequate for full oversight. "You really need someone with specialized knowledge and dedicated full time to protecting your interest," Hamill said, adding that change orders and specification reviews require deep, ongoing attention.

Board members and administrators responded that details about the owner's representative's hours, responsibilities and interaction with the post-referendum building committee remain to be determined. They pointed to state statute (cited in the meeting as Title 5, Part 4, Chapter 153, subchapter 1753) that governs the owner's representative role and hiring process, including open advertising, interview processes and final approval by the state Bureau of General Services for certain appointments. The chair confirmed the district will follow statutory requirements and that the owner's representative budget is in the project cost estimate.

The building committee will continue to refine its charge and will report back; the board did not take formal action on staffing levels at this meeting.