Harpswell emergency services building project about $1 million over target

The Emergency Services Building Committee met Sept. 24 to review updated cost estimates showing the project roughly $1 million above its $6 million target, driven mainly by higher-than-expected site work figures. Members agreed to keep moving forward with design and permitting while pursuing value engineering, and approved the minutes of the previous meeting.

Key points

• Two independent site subcontractors returned similar site work estimates, which came in higher than the roughly $900,000 previously anticipated.
• The full project is now estimated at about $7 million, roughly $1 million over the $6 million goal, with soft costs near $800,000.
• Members agreed the building design is already lean and that site work is the main cost driver, not the building itself.
• The committee voted to approve the minutes of the last meeting.
• Discussion covered a possible federal earmark of about $1.5 million, with staff noting the timing depends on Congress passing a budget.
• Members discussed deferring or finding grants for items such as a generator and SCBA equipment, and noted the town already has a cascade system and compressor.

Next steps

• Continue developing the full building design and pursue Planning Board review, targeted for November or December.
• Stake out building corners on site and conduct additional probes to better understand ledge and soil conditions.
• Work with the architect and Port City on value engineering to reduce site costs, with a goal of cutting a couple hundred thousand dollars.
• Bring a list of value management options to the next meeting.
• Follow up with Life Flight, with the architect expected to communicate with them.

Read the full transcript