Swansea reviews fire station and capital payouts as staff flags possible shortfall

The select board received a detailed budget update on capital projects, including spending tied to the new fire station and related site work.

Finance staff said the town has expended about $2.51 million on the project to date and that approximately $289,000 remained in the allocated funds; outstanding contractor payouts discussed in the meeting left the board with a projected gap the presenters described as roughly $208,000 (figures mentioned in the discussion ranged higher depending on outstanding pay applications and whether additional supplies and IT costs are included).

Staff identified costs not yet invoiced and noted potential offsets such as DPW in‑kind work and other credits; board members asked for a clearer breakout of remaining pay applications, furniture and equipment costs (an itemized list from the architect/contractor was requested), and confirmed that some earlier payouts were made from the bond and capital reserve funds.

Members discussed funding options if the town needs to cover a shortfall: using Invest NH funds that remain available for infrastructure, seeking additional grants, and working with the prime contractor to reduce remaining paving costs. The board asked staff to return with a line‑by‑line summary of committed and uncommitted funds and the next expected payouts so members can determine whether to reallocate reserves or adjust the timeline for purchases.

The board also reviewed software and technology coding in departmental budgets and noted that some software expenses had been moved to department lines in a recent accounting change; staff agreed to identify specific line items to correct coding anomalies.