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Construction on Ogunquit, Maine's new $11.9M municipal campus is being scaled down due to cost overruns. Adjustments include reducing square footage, reining in renovations, and addressing fundraising shortfalls. The new town hall is expected to be complete by mid-November 2025.
Wed January 29, 2025 - Northeast Edition
Construction on the Ogunquit, Maine's new municipal campus on School Street is continuing, although town officials are scaling back certain aspects of the project to stay within the $11.9 million budget.
Ogunquit Town Manager Matthew Buttrick said that recent perceptions of the project being over budget by a million dollars may have stemmed from "misconstrued" discussions about costs and scope.
"The project is not over budget," he explained to the Herald, a news source based in nearby Portsmouth, N.H. "The budget itself remains fixed. What varies is the scope of what we can achieve within that budget. As with all large projects, there are multiple stages of plan development and cost estimation, which help us refine the project as we move forward."
Buttrick said adjustments to the town hall project have included reducing the square footage and footprint of new construction and reining in the original vision for the renovation of the coastal community's Dunaway Center.
"Throughout this project, we have worked diligently to reduce costs and value-engineer each component to stay within budget," he added. "The budget for the new building has not and will not be exceeded."
Approved by voters, the work involves building a new, fully functional town hall and police department, installing a new basketball court and playground, performing landscaping and renovating the nearby Dunaway Community Center to make it more comfortable and accessible, according to Buttrick.
During construction, the Ogunquit Police Department is temporarily stationed at 102 Main St., the Herald noted in its Jan. 29 article.
Regarding the Dunaway Center, that part of the overall project was retooled to focus on repairs and maintenance after design estimates related to the basement exceeded the allocated amount of $2.5 million, even after an initial reduction in scope had been made, Buttrick told the newspaper.
"Bringing the building entirely up to code would have required replacing the electrical system — an expense of $700,000 — and gutting the building," he elaborated. "Instead, we opted for repairs and maintenance, allowing us to improve the building without triggering full code compliance requirements."
Buttrick also said that fundraising for the exterior features of the project, such as the new basketball court, retaining walls, landscaping, and more, did not meet initial expectations. The amount raised was $150,000, which he noted was "significantly short of our goal."
"As we refined the project and received bids, site costs increased to over $2.4 million," Buttrick continued. "To address this, we scaled back the playground design, including reusing equipment from the previous playground, but we still face a shortfall of $1.5 million."
Crews will begin interior upgrades at the Dunaway Center that will allow staff members to continue working inside the building. The work will include replacing the building's oil furnace and the auditorium's air conditioner, as well as upgrading the meeting room with a new camera and broadcasting system.
"Once the building is vacated, the foundation will need to be waterproofed, which will involve excavation, installation of a water diversion system, and application of waterproofing materials," Buttrick explained. "ADA-compliant stairs and ramps will also need to be installed."
The town's staff is likely to vacate the Dunaway Center in December 2025, he said, adding that Ogunquit is presently working in the final design phase for the center's overall renovation.
At the moment, crews are working on the construction of the new town hall and police department on School Street. Additionally, the designs for the new playground and basketball court to be installed on the campus are being finalized.
In speaking with the Herald, Buttrick said the new Ogunquit Town Hall is scheduled to be complete — and ready to be occupied by staff — by mid-November, although site work and landscaping is expected to continue into the spring of 2026.