Just another joke in NH

Another government building with all the associated costs.

From County Commissioner Goddu;

Designs for the new Rockingham County Municipal Complex are complete. Below is a link to a YouTube video animation of what this project will look like. County Complex Estimated Budget: $87 Million https://www.youtube.com/embed/c9iGZ3kIbm8

Harvey Construction is in the process of bidding to get us final costs. The county has agreed to a Guaranteed Maximum Contract (GMP). Once the bids are in Harvey Construction will present the county with the GMP amendment for commissioners to review and sign. This is the most important document relating to this project because the GMP will reveal exactly how much Rockingham County taxpayers will be obligated to pay. We are expecting to receive the GMP on April 20th. My primary objective as your county commissioner is to keep government efficient and be sure that we are getting the best bang for our buck as taxpayers. This project has kept me up at night because it is the largest, most expensive project in the history of Rockingham County. Three commissioners, a real estate agent, a prosecuting attorney, and a print & marketing professional, are responsible for its successful completion. I have never worked on a project of this size and scope and frankly, no one else employed at the county has either. After consulting with a certified Owner’s Project Manager (OPM), who has built and managed many similar projects, we concluded that it would be in the best interest of the county to employ an OPM firm to assist in reviewing all of the proposals, change orders, potential cost overruns and invoices that we will be presented to us. Employing an OPM firm would be like a pseudo insurance policy that would cost the county approximately $400,000. The other two commissioners disagreed with my proposal so we will continue on our own without that added expertise.

Rockingham County has contracted with two firms who have great reputations: Warrenstreet Architects and Harvey Construction. Warrenstreet has been engaged to not only design the project but also for construction management services. Since Warrenstreet will be managing the implementation of their own design it seems to me that an independent manager would better serve us. Neither company accepts a fiduciary responsibility to the county. That burden falls on the commissioners and l take that responsibility very seriously. Three weeks into serving as commissioner I requested a copy of the projected budget. I was presented with a budget that had not been updated since February of 2022 for $66 million. Since then a decision was made to place our $10 million solar project under the management of Harvey Construction. The February 2022 combined estimates equal $76 million. After requesting updated estimates my analysis reveals that costs will actually be closer to $83 million. Common practice for a project of this size would be to have an owner’s contingency of 5% which brings us to an estimated budget of $87 million. The main reason for this preliminary estimate is to ensure that the county has allocated adequate funds for the successful completion without excess burden on tax payers. I think we are in good shape but it is important to note that my research revealed that this project is $7 million higher than what was previously anticipated, plus the county has not included a contingency. Financial planning on a project of this size should have been up to date and more accurate. There remains about $500,000 in independent testing yet to be contracted. I was able to convince our county staff to take on the management of this testing. By doing so this saves the county approximately $50,000. As your county commissioner, you can expect that I will continue to reveal opportunities to save money for county tax payers by scrutinizing this project from wastefull spending. By the end of April when the GMP is presented, we will know what the real costs are. Stay tuned. $2,869,296 in Rockingham County Opiod Abatements An Opioid Trust fund has been established in New Hampshire to assist with outpatient and residential opioid use disorder (OUD) and any co-occurring substance use disorder or mental health (SUD/MH) treatment services including:

• Detoxification

• Administration of Naloxone

• Mobile intervention

• Access to housing for people with OUD

• Transportation to treatment or recovery programs

• Training or educational services

• Centralized call centers provideing information for appropriate services

• Oversight of opioid treatment programs

• Scholarships and supports for certified addiction counselors

• Prevention of over-prescribing and dispensing of opioids

• Education of law enforcement or other first responders

Year 1 we anticipate $639,294. Years 2-7 $218,934 Years 8-10 $170,893 Years 11-13 $98,185 Years 14 & 15 $54,584 Additional details: New Hampshire Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission Established. If you have a suggestion on how to best use these funds, contact me at sgoddu@co.rockingham.nh.us. Rental Assistance Program A rental assistance program is available to Rockingham County tenants in need of rental and/or utility assistance and landlord who have Rockingham County tenants that are in need of rental assistance. You may initiate an application here. First time Tenant & first time Landlord Application ARPA Grant Funding and Applications Aid to Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industries Subawards for Assistance to Rockingham County Communities Disproportionately Affected by COVID-19 Assistance to Rockingham County Non Profit Organizations County Commissioners Meetings Online Rockingham County Commissioners' meetings are now being recorded and will be available on the @Rockingham County YouTube channel.

Steven L Goddu Rockingham County Commissioner, District 2 5 Candlestick Lane, Salem, NH (603) 890-2406