Thanks to dishonesty or incompetence, we spent too much on getting nothing

The original $200 million Taj Mahal nursing home proposed by Strafford County Commissioners last year (Courtesy image)

To Strafford County Commissioners, Administrator Raymond Bower, County Delegation:

As most of you have already seen, Representatives Cliff Newton and Joe Pitre recently provided a press release to several news outlets detailing what we can only describe as a revelation of such magnitude that we must ensure the entire delegation is informed.
Newton had requested documentation, including a FOIA inquiry, regarding all communications and correspondence relating to the proposed nursing home that had accumulated over the past nearly two years. After his review, which was included in the document dump, he found an estimate for a nursing home by EGA Architects of $49 million. This estimate, and all knowledge of it, has been completely hidden from our delegation, all while the commissioners pressured the delegation to accept an extravagant top-of-the-line nursing home facility that would have cost our taxpayers approximately $200 million. Interest on this amount would have added tens of millions of dollars more.
Last fall, the delegation was invited to visit the Carroll County nursing facility. After our review, we contacted the firm that had designed/built that facility to inquire about receiving a rough estimate to replicate the
Carroll County facility in our county, but with 215 beds. To our surprise, that firm was none other than the same EGA Architects mentioned above. They promptly replied and stated that the estimate would now be approximately $64 million, $15 million more than they had estimated in their submitted bid in
2022.
Few words can describe our disgust and outrage at this latest discovery. During the past two years, Strafford County taxpayer monies of approximately $2 million have been wasted by the commissioners pursuing their "grand plan". Due to inflation, the same 215-bed facility would now cost $15 million more than the original estimate. The Republican caucus members warned from the beginning, stating consistently and frequently that the commissioner's plan would never be allowed to proceed due to its extravagant design and associated costs. We cautioned and advised other delegation members about the situation during those two years, which received little to no effect or support. As we advance, we hope that the entire delegation will take input and information brought forward by our Republican Caucus members seriously.
We believe the delegation and our citizens have been intentionally deceived. We mentioned the lack of transparency in our letter "The Path Forward" in February. Part of that paragraph
stated: "Lastly, transparency and trust have been severely lacking. In the future, we believe these issues must change..."
Unfortunately, these transparency issues remain alive and well with those entrusted with the executive functions of Strafford County.
Even more outrageous than the ongoing deception, when asked recently by a reporter to comment on the initial press release, Commissioner Maglaras stated he had never seen the original estimate. Yet there it was in the documents requested by and given to Newton. In his latest communication with the press, Maglaras, after having been caught in a blatant lie, is now backtracking with yet another contorted version of his
"recollections" regarding the EGA bid.
Based on all the information that has come to light over the past couple of years, the commissioners and the administrator are incapable of transparency. The discovery of a past bid, hidden by the Commissioners,
Administrator Bower, or all, can only be described as either deceitful or incompetent, neither option being acceptable.

Based on their past actions, we lean heavily to the side of intentional and orchestrated deceit. We will
find it extremely difficult to proceed trustfully with the current commissioners at this juncture.
Finally, our caucus intends to bring forward a motion to investigate the actions of the Commissioners and the County Administrator per RSA 24:17.

On behalf of the entirety of the Republican Caucus members,
Representatives Claudine Burnham, Cliff Newton,
Kelley Potenza and Len Turcotte