Town-hall renovation ahead of schedule despite prior delays, officials say

Town consultants and staff updated the South Berwick Town Council on June 18 on the town-hall renovation, reporting improved schedule performance and manageable contingencies despite earlier change-order concerns.

Andy Jackson of Dovetail Consulting told the council Charter Brothers has reduced earlier schedule risk and now projects a phase-one occupancy around Aug. 14 and substantial completion — all major work complete except punch-list items — by Jan. 7. Jackson said the project has completed roughly half of the work and that only one long-lead HVAC fan coil remains a potential cause for a minor finish delay.

The project has produced 37 change orders to date; 31 were zero-dollar adjustments absorbed by the contractor. On the owner side the contingency originally near $750,000 has been drawn down about $239,000, leaving roughly $511,000; the contractor retains about $410,000 of contingency. Jackson said the combined cushion (~$921,000) gives the team room to respond to additional surprises.

Staff and the consultant noted some scope reductions earlier in the project: the solar grant was not obtained, landscaping scope was reduced, and certain items were pulled from the contract to limit owner cost exposure. Councilors asked about the order of contingency use; staff explained contractors typically absorb issues first and then request owner contingency for items outside the contractor's responsibility.

Councilors also were briefed on coordination with the state fire marshal, audiovisual and security systems, and high-density storage procurement. Staff said they will continue close oversight of long-lead items and provide monthly updates to the council.

Next steps: monitor the outstanding long-lead items, process any contractor change requests through the established review, and report progress to the council.