Here’s the original estimate (CCI Estimate) submitted for some first floor restoration work. The total is $321,718. The Selectmen realized that they would have to bond that amount and could never pass with the 3/5 requirement, so they decided to cut out the General Contractor.
Who needs an experienced project manager when we have Rob Houseman to do the job? How complicated can it be? Develop plans, hire subcontractors, monitor the progress, coordinate between subs, make decisions when things come up, and be responsible for staying within budget. Apparently the Selectmen don’t think Rob has anything else to do.
wolfeblog 
A while ago I spoke to the Town Administrator of Moultonborough about their process and associated costs for creating their municipal complex which was constructed several years ago. Long story short; they created a plan, save up for a period of years and then did it. Total for Public Safety, Library and Town Hall was less than $8.0M. The only problem was they “project managed it” themselves to save money. They now really regret that decision as “unanticipated issues” have occurred with several of the buildings.
The Town now has a professional Project Management firm on retainer to manage ALL of their capital projects. This person (firm) reports solely to the Town; not the contractor or architect involved. The Town Administrator was emphatic about this point. Based upon our history with big capital projects in Town perhaps we should take heed of his recommendation.
Allen Kasiewicz
Wolfeboro