A Danville, N.H., company has been chosen to oversee the $7.4 million Town Hall renovation.
The Town Council announced at the June 10 meeting that Charters Brothers was chosen from eight firms that submitted applications to serve as construction manager for the renovation project.
The pool of eight firms was narrowed to three that were interviewed June 5: Allied Cook Construction of Scarborough, Wright-Ryan of Portland and Charters Brothers. Town Manager Tim Pellerin, Assistant Town Manager Jennifer Janelle, and Peter MacGovern of the architectural firm Oak Point Associates were part of the interview process, while Town Council members “scored, rated and voted on the final selection,” according to council Chair Mallory Cook.
The councilors spoke highly of all three firms at the meeting, saying it was not an easy decision, but agreed Charters Brothers was the best choice for the job.
Councilor Melissa Costella said she was particularly impressed that Charters Brothers designed its presentation around the five questions the town asked of all eight firms, clearly answering each one.
Their attention to detail impressed her as well, Costella said, noting, “They discovered things in their walk-through of the building, and they know what they are getting into.”
Councilor John James said of the interview process, “We were looking at not only their business structure, but how they spoke to us about our building, the historical views of our building,” and their experience working with historic buildings.
Expressing a sentiment offered across the board, James added, “I feel very good letting them run our project and take care of the Town Hall that everybody wants to stay the same outside but look new inside.”
Now that a construction management firm has been chosen, its team will meet with the architecture and engineering group Oak Point as they finalize plans for the renovation, said Pellerin.
Working together, they can “connect the dots” on all that comes next, he said. The next step will be presenting a final draft for the council’s approval in August. The plan will then be sent to the state to ensure it complies with all regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and electrical and fire safety codes.
Being sure everything is done correctly before any work begins, said Pellerin, “is all a part of trying to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money.”
