Township Defends Planning, Spending on Town Hall Project

The township was tasked yet again Monday with defending its record on the municipal complex project after a citizen questioned a recently approved $330,000 contract for construction consulting services.

Earlier this month, council approved a contract with Greyhawk—a construction/program management and consulting firm with offices across the country, including Moorestown—for consultation services related to the town hall project. Resident Roger Boyell questioned why council needed Greyhawk’s services, especially after the firm’s involvement with the previous incarnation of the project, which the current council killed last year.

“We need a construction consultant who has done this kind of building, multiple times, with success,” said township manager Scott Carew, who explained Ragan Design Group is primarily responsible for the design of the structure, but cannot provide the kind of expertise Greyhawk can.

On its website, Greyhawk claims it “efficiently resolves claims and disputes that arise on projects managed by other firms,” in addition to its other services.

Carew said Greyhawk will be working for the township on a “per hour, as-needed basis.”

After expending a great deal of time, energy and, most importantly, dollars on the previous incarnation of the municipal complex project, the current council has said it’s determined to avoid the mistakes of the past—hence the meticulous planning.

But Boyell was not entirely convinced, and said others in town share his concerns.

“I’m still concerned about with no perceptible progress being made,” he said. “People are concerned there’s a lot of money being spent with nothing to show for it.”

Carew however reiterated the township has made and told council Monday he expects the project will be ready to go out to bid in June, with groundbreaking sometime in August.

On a related note, Carew said he continues to make progress on a  with several (as-yet unnamed) neighboring municipalities. He told council he’s meeting with those communities next week.

Based on the information he’s collected to date, Carew said, “I have no doubt that there could be cost savings with every town involved and an increase in efficiency.”

He estimated the savings would be anywhere from 10 to 20 percent for each town, as well as additional revenue for Moorestown, which would be hosting the shared court.

Carew said he hopes to have commitments from the partnering municipalities by the end of March.