So let's break even on the float.

Kind Regards,

Scott Clary
617-968-5769

Sent from a mobile device - please excuse typos and errors

On Wed, Jun 4, 2025, 8:05 PM Garrick Niemiec <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Garrick Niemiec <[email protected]>
> Date: Wed, Jun 4, 2025, 8:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Trying to make sense of the statement about CC
> costs
> To: Andrew Payne <[email protected]>
>
>
> You clearly don't understand the nuances of design and building projects
> and associated contract forms
>
> On Wed, Jun 4, 2025, 6:03 PM Andrew Payne <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> David C. wrote:
>>
>>> “cutting $2.3M out of the project would require a complete redesign
>>> (estimated cost $1.5M to $2.0M)”
>>>
>>> This stretches the bounds of plausibility. Anyone familiar with
>>> construction projects knows that cost-cutting trade-offs are often
>>> necessary, and rarely do they require paying full architectural fees all
>>> over again.
>>>
>> There's not a smooth linear slider where we can just "uncheck boxes" and
>> costs come down.
>>
>> Sometimes, you can't materially reduce scope or cut costs without
>> triggering a redesign.  For example, if you need to materially reduce
>> costs, that may trigger a footprint reduction, which may trigger a room
>> reduction, which triggers a layout change, which triggers a roof change,
>> etc.  If it's already highly constrained (as this project is), you may need
>> to look at a couple of conceptual designs before committing to a new
>> redesign, review with all the stakeholders, renegotiate tradeoffs, etc.
>> And, because of the municipal process, we need to generate a new full set
>> of design documents so that bidders have enough detail to submit new bids.
>>
>> The CCBC-provided redesign cost estimate may be "conservative", but it's
>> not surprising if it's close to a design-from-scratch cost since a redesign
>> means going back to nearly the beginning.
>>
>> “and a delayed timeline, resulting in further escalated costs ($1.5M to
>>> $2.0M)”
>>>
>>> Have they never heard of the time value of money? I’d rather see my
>>> taxes levied two years from now than today. Delaying the project means
>>> capital remains available for more productive uses. Even if the funds are
>>> already allocated, they would be earning interest—likely 4–5%. Any
>>> escalation estimate should be offset by that. Moreover, our record for
>>> predicting escalation is weak at best. We should avoid baseless speculation.
>>>
>> To clarify:  the majority of funds (~$16m) would be bonded, and that
>> would happen *after* we are "go flight!" with an accepted bid, etc.  At
>> that point, we're paying interest on those funds and MA anti-arbitrage laws
>> prevent us from earning more interest/return than we're paying on float.
>> Generally, if bonding is involved, we can't arbitrage away cost escalations
>> in any meaningful way.
>>
>> Do residents prefer to pay escalated costs in ~2 years *vs* current
>> costs, as you suggest?  Maybe; I'd be very surprised. That's why we vote.
>>
>> One if-you-think-community-centers-are-expensive-try-two-weddings
>> resident's view,
>>
>> -andy
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