During last night’s training, one of the questions was how/who will manage projects than can be highly complex. The answer from Mr. Saginor was that sometimes you needed to hire a project manager. In the Oak Bluffs story, they did not do that and ended up with huge cost overruns and less work than was originally promised:
A project to refurbish the historic clay brick bathrooms next to the Oak Bluffs Steamship Authority terminal, fund a mobile comfort station, concession stand for town beaches,and construct a rain garden in Alley Park fell short of its goals and cost taxpayers $275,229 more than originally planned, according to Oak Bluffs town officials.
The project was originally budgeted at $599,204. The final price tag for the project is $874,433, a 31-percent increase despite the fact that the comfort station and an information kiosk were abandoned for lack of funds.
The absence of a single manager who could provide oversight for the three-part capital project, funded by a federal grant and local Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, led the project to run over budget and fall short of its goals according to town officials and a review of town records.