Thursday, February 26, 2026

Site selection and land assessment

The committee agreed to wait until the snow melts for the site walk and assessment.

The committee looked at possible sites, with a focus on land the town already owns and the chance of buying nearby parcels. Members said the fire station parcel and the adjacent properties are each about a third of an acre, which may be small for the planned use, so combining parcels was discussed. Members said test pits and wetland delineation (mapping where wetlands are) are needed to learn groundwater levels and stormwater needs. High groundwater could require stormwater retention or other steps. The committee agreed to wait until the snow melts to do a full site walk and assessment. A member said that once funding is secured, professionals can be arranged quickly to evaluate the land and make recommendations.

Design build vs. construction management discussion

The committee talked about two ways to run the new public safety building project. In design build, one team does both design and construction. In construction management, the town picks a construction manager and the contract sets a maximum price. A member said the NH Municipal Association told him no state law requires a bid process, but the town's purchasing policy must be followed. That policy exempts professional services such as engineering from standard bidding, so the first $50,000 for site exploration and related services can be spent without a formal bid. The full project would likely need a bid process. For engineering, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is used, where firms show their experience instead of submitting competing bids, and usually one firm is chosen. Construction management allows value engineering (looking for ways to lower cost) and terms such as returning unspent contingency funds. A member agreed to contact other towns that used either method and the group began a list of projects and contacts.

Cost estimates and reference projects

A member presented recent municipal projects in Bristol, Enfield, North Hampton and Newbury, with costs from $247 to $493 per square foot. The committee discussed how useful these figures are for its own planning. A member suggested using Engineering News-Record (ENR) for current construction cost data and offered to get a subscription for the committee. Another member suggested reviewing other towns' plans for layouts that could be reused to save on design costs. A member noted that Enfield's plans are close in size to what the town needs and could be a starting point. The committee also discussed inviting architects and construction firms to meetings. One member offered to contact an estimator and suggest firms. Another member named firms with municipal project experience as references: Eckman Construction, Warren Street Architects and Dennis Meyers Architects. The committee agreed to meet March 12 and March 26 at 5:30pm. The first meeting will review progress. The second may include presentations from architects or construction firms, depending on the town vote.