New Marine Patrol Headquarters
 

$7,800,000

More details: https://admin.state.nh.us/publicwork...20-2014.07.pdf

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>SDA was selected by New Hampshire to design the new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gilford?src=hash">#Gilford</a> Marine Patrol to on <a href="https://twitter.com/iWinnipesaukee">@iWinnipesaukee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/architecture?src=hash">#architecture</a> <a href="http://t.co/ETYUzIV3Io">pic.twitter.com/ETYUzIV3Io</a></p>&mdash; Samyn-D'Elia (@SamynDElia_Arch) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamynDElia_Arch/statuses/494142515772010496">July 29, 2014</a></blockquote>
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WOW! All the MP bashers on this forum will LOVE this!

not criticism yet:
why is a new facility even needed at this time? my honest question as I have never been to the facility

Why now?
 

Prior to MP, Goodhue Boat Yard was on this site. It burned in the 50's (1957?) and Goodhue built this new building. They sold it to the State of NH some years later. The hangar style building behind it is even older. That may be part of the reference to acquiring adjacent land. In any event, the current HQ building is 65 years old, and I have heard it is settling a little more each year.

The state built a new courthouse in my town (2009-2010), anticipating a cost of $7MM, and expecting 2-3 bidders. They got 13 bids and closed the deal for about $4MM. Recession! Don't bash the numbers until they are firm.

The above info is correct. The land was filled in, one of the reason the building is settled. Also the building was originally built as a one story building and additional story was added later.

The hanger style building was built by my dad and uncle back in 1950 for Goodhue. The materials were war surplus and was built to minimum standards. My uncle is surprise it is still standing!

If you pay taxes in the state you should be able to voice your opinion of the project.

oh please.....do people really need to start the tax bs all over again. Residents vote and non residents do not vote in NH just like every other state in the US.

what makes you think I Was talking about non residents? lighten up try decaf

Every none profit business/organization seems to have plenty of money to build what ever they want. Schools, churches, prisons, and now a mansion for the NH Marine Patrol.

Also have you ever been into some of these Insurance business buildings? Talk about plush and plenty of money spent on things like cafeterias, gyms, baby sitting rooms, etc. Why not cut our premiums and get rid of some of these luxuries.

And who pays for all this CRAP... why you and I do.

This country is out of control with spending tax payers money.

really? If you are a resident then you can voice your opinion by your vote and talking with your rep...and you should do so.

What happened to all of those running for office that claim that they will cut waste, fraud, and abuse?

Ah . . . when it comes to the authorities . . . money seems to be no object.

Are they asking for jail cells too?

According to the "CONSTRUCTION MANAGER SELECTION" , they are going to have a "secure booking area". I would say that they means a "Jail"...it's just a fancy way of wording it. :D

Here is the scope of the work:
"The scope of work includes working in all phases of design in
coordination with an A/E Design Consultant and the State of New Hampshire. The scope of
work includes construction of a new 26,000 SF facility, with on-site parking, which will include:
office space for Marine Patrol (sworn/ civilian); secure booking area; storage facility; mechanics
shop; ADA accessible boating education classrooms; boat registration and administration
functions. The State is reviewing land acquisition options of adjacent properties for additional
on-site parking. The life expectancy for this project is 50 years. The available funds for
construction are $7,800,000.00."

I am a non-resident, lakefront property owner, so I have no vote here. However, I believe this is needed and I support this move.

The present MP HQ facility does not support what is needed. We need a professional MP on the lake and I believe this is a step towards that end.

R2B

The existing MP personnel aren't "professional" now? How will a new building make them more professional?

How about more MP staff to get some of the boneheads during the tourist season.

I don't know first hand but it's not hard to believe that the current facility is outdated and beyond renovation.

Still why do things like "office space for Marine Patrol (sworn/ civilian); secure booking area; storage facility; mechanics shop; ADA accessible boating education classrooms; boat registration and administration functions." need to be in a waterfront location?

Why not just leave the boat shop and docks there and build or buy a plain vanilla office building on cheap Gilford or Laconia land. Return that lake front land to the people of NH. Either sell it to the town, a private interest or develop it for recreational use.

I don't know if they need a new building or not because I have never been inside it, but I know that all these gov. entities think they need the taj mahal. They don't care that the average joe has to work very hard for them to have their palaces. I know a lot of it is rules and regs, but I think they overdo a lot.

Insurance companies are not government entities. They are private businesses and are free to make as much money as they can, just like any other business.

But that has nothing to do with this thread.

Agreed. I support a new, modern MP facility. I wonder how much of the revenue needed will come from federal grants.
No sense in worrying about something I can't control.

Hopefully they save some space to be used for training of the MP. It seems like they need more of it.

I haven't seen plans for the new building but I can tell you that the current building is seriously compromised. There are structural cracks that have reached a point where walls are separating at corners. There are also launching and retrieval needs that must be addressed. So again, while I can't speak to what the new building will be, I can say they certainly cannot remain in the one that they have.

Based on what I have read here and other places, I do not doubt that a new building is needed. I also wish the Marine Patrol could be more active on our lake and in general.

Having said that, $7+M seems like a lot of money. I've seen some pretty impressive homes built for $1M. What is driving the cost so high?

agree here seems like they need a new building but why did they buy so high knowing this? why cant it be done for a 1/3 of the costs?

they building million dollar intricate homes, and yet this is an office type space with technology just like any other office building space

The building isn't just used for office space. They service their own boats. I would wonder if there are costs associated with chemical containment / storage of costs associated with the demo and clean up of the old building. I also wonder if some of the cost might be related to purchasing adjacent land for parking.

sorry bout that mis typed - my b
office type space and storage space but that is even less intricate

Since it will be on 'the same site,' where will the MPHQ be situated during the work in progress?

The life expectancy for this project is 50 years. The available funds for
construction are $7,800,000.00

Hmm 7.8M for 50 years comes out at a cool 156K per year, now that's a bargain :eek:

Do we know what the current breakdown is of sworn/civilian MPs? I know it used to be a heavily seasonal force. Has that changed? Do all MP's have full arrest authority? Has there ever been talk of merging with State Police?

I had the impression the MP became part of the SP last year. I'm not certain though. At any rate I believe the transition is in the works.

By "Civilian MP" do you mean the NHMP auxiliary? They do not have arrest/citation powers. They can only 'suggest." However if they observe you making a serious infraction they have the same right to file a complaint as any citizen and are likely to be considered a credible witness by the legal system.

raise money
 

I say put in tolls on the exits in Merrimack to help pay for it

Well as I've been told, we don't have enough manpower. So lets build a $7.8 building that a few employees can run in. Makes no sense.

I hope it's pretty because I'll be looking at it.

The couple who purchased that mobile home park and put up a private residence behind it are going to be in for a surprise.

p.s. I'm surprised the industrial building is standing and that people actually store their boats there during the winter.

Unfortunately, it is similar to the belief that if a town builds a bright new shiny school that the kids will be smarter because of it.

As PBFF stated, there is nothing we can do about it but embrace it.

I have called marine patrol on occasion regarding the zippy wake makers and the typical response . . . "sorry maam, we just don't have the staff." Watching the boats just sit at the dock is as painful as looking at the mansions that aren't occupied.

This is what I don't understand. If we don't have the money for enough officers how in the world can we afford an expensive new building.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot. We have a wonderful new building in a town but not enough staff. Which is more important? I know what is more important to me!!

I have nothing against MP, I just wonder why they need to spend that much, just as I often wonder why the towns needs such extravagant buildings. As Mish says, a school doesn't make a kid smarter, the teachers could teach the kids outside and they would learn. It's not the building!

If your boat was sinking, would you like to wait an extra 20 minutes for MP to get the call, get in their vehicle, drive the distance, get in the boat, then respond to your emergency call?

Except when the weather is too dangerous, there are MP on the lake 24/7 during the season. But I mostly agree with you. The extra transit time from the station to the docks would mean less time on the water. The possibility for vandalism also exists when there aren't "eyes" in the area, even with cameras.

The Dept. of Safety also has a large building nearby on Rt. 106. I've seen trailered MP boats there and assumed it was used for boat maintenance and storage. There also seems to be office space in the front.

Does anyone know more about how this building is used?

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4336...zELRdiTuQQ!2e0

I can't imagine that ever being a problem, KPW. They will always have (and need) space ON the lake for the boats. It's just do they need an eight million dollar facility?

I'll be honest, I am not sure what I mean. I just saw that in the scope of work and it got me wondering. I was curious if "civilian" meant the part timers (seasonal) who do have ticket authority, but, for example, do not carry weapons and the "sworn" meant full time sworn police officers. Again, not really sure the difference, but it stuck out to me in reading the scope of work.

Comparative building costs
 

Building a house for $1MM is a lot different than constructing a "public" building that must have sprinklers, be ADA compliant, elevators, etc. Probably the house has eight foot ceilings and spans of 12-14 feet. Driving trucks and trailers through the building requires greater spans, and weight bearing capacity. Can you hoist a 10,000 lb boat from that household ceiling? What happens to the floor when you drop a V-8 engine on it? Does it sag when you put a couple of engines in the same room? It's just not close to being the same thing.

I believe the training folks operate out of Belmont, so there are offices and classrooms there. Dispatch and other functions moved to Concord when the MP merged into SP.

If you want more MP, they need the support structures, room, repair shops.. You can still support them by checking the block that says donate all or part of my gas tax refund to the Navigation Safety Fund. It's a tax-deductible donation.

I think it is premature to assume that $7.8MM will be spent. Wait until the bids come in. The $$ cannot be moved to other purposes, so they can't just "spend it because it is there."

"Civilian" in an article or report, probably referred to non-sworn staff like mechanics, dispatchers and administrative personnel.

There are a hundreds of other lakes in NH and they don't have an MP office building on the shore. The MP is always on patrol on the big lake and their dock would still allow this. The on-duty officers would start their shift when they arrived at their boat, no loss of water time.

There is no practical reason to build the clerical functions of the MP on the waterfront.

Let's face it, the number one goal of government is to use taxes to buy votes. $7.8 million buys a lot of votes.