By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — Keep the cost low.

That will be the rallying cry of the latest working group to put together a plan for a gym to replace the recreational space that the Town of Naples lost a few year ago.

Last week, a few days before Christmas, the Naples Select Board approved, 4-0, the appointment of four people to the gymnasium working group, which will report to the board every two weeks. Those people are: Kevin Rogers to represent the select board, Jim Grattelo from the Naples Budget Committee, Naples Town Manager Jason Rogers and Naples Recreation Director Brian Crockett.

Three weeks ago, Chairman Ted Shane was excited to share his idea of putting a less expensive project on paper, but work-related matters kept him from attending that board meeting.

“About 4 years ago — I could be off by a year, we then sat down with three different contractors. We told them what we wanted. We asked all three if the job could be done for $4.5 million. All three said, ‘Yes.’ From there, we asked all three to give us an unofficial design and price tag. Great Falls [Construction] came up with lowest price,” Shane said on Dec. 23.

He proposed the formation of a working group go over existing designs and to adhere to that $4.5 million price tag. He felt that whatever is built could be kept inexpensive, and leave room for expansion at a later date.

“I am of mindset to complete entire outside of the structure and then finish gym, bathrooms and the rec director’s office,” Shane said. “Then down the road, budget as we go, finish rest of project.”

He opened the floor to other board members weigh in on his idea.

Stephen LaPointe spoke first, saying, “We should move forward looking at it.”

There had been some discussion about a suitable location being by the American Legion Post #155 and by the Plummer Memorial Ball Fields off Route 11, he said.

“The outside of the building doesn’t have a to be as fancy as being on Route 302. A working group should be fine. Keep it under $4.5 million,” LaPointe said.

Shane said it good to keep this project alive.

“I hear from people in the community. There is some good positive energy out there. We pare it down, complete what we need now, move forward with expansion later,” he said.

Select Board member Bill Adams restated what was being proposed.

“A working group to see if it could come down to $4.5 million or less; four people looking at what is on paper,” Adams said.

Shane said that was correct.

“Before calling it a committee, this is a working group,” he said.

Additionally, the pressure would be off to get it onto a ballot in a set amount of months.

“There is no timeframe of when we get that number or go back to the voters,” Shane said.

LaPointe expressed a concern that the cost of materials will only go up as time passes.

“The standard inflation is 2-1/2%. If we wait, it will go up and up,” he said.

Vice-chair Colin Brackett expressed another concern: the voters’ appetite.

“My concern is that we tried $11 million. We tried $7 million. Now we are trying $4.5 million. If that fails, do we go back to the drawing board and try $2 million, try $1 million What else are we going to need that is going to cost a chunk of change. Will we need a fire station,” he asked.

“I don’t know what number we are striving for because the voters haven’t told us that,” he said.

“Do we just put metal structure out at the legion fields for a gym and call it a day,” Brackett said.

LaPointe liked the idea of the working group wrapping up its objective at the same time the new comp plan is completed.

Shane said, “That would be great. I am not willing to put a timeframe on the working committee right now.”

Resident Penn Worcester sought clarification.

“You want a working committee to reconsider the original $4.5 million estimate to build a community center? To what end? What is that report going to tell us about the original estimate,” Worcester asked.

This would NOT be a new study, Shane said.

“The working group would take info already given to us from contractor and evaluate what we need right now, which in my mind, is a gym, bathrooms and a recreation director’s office,” he said. “Maybe this committee will come back and say, ‘None of this is possible.’”

Resident Jim Grattelo had hopeful perspective on the project.

“There was no doubt that all three bidders said we could get what we wanted for $4.5 million. Four-and-a-half million dollars is a very doable,” he said.

As the owner of the Sport Centers in Portland, he spoke from experience having built a gym in his facility. He referred to it as a butler building.

“It will come in well under $4 million. It is real simple. If the town wants to have a gymnasium that can be expanded at some point in time, it is very doable,” Grattelo said.