Special Bd. of Aldermen — 11/26/2018 Page 12
We still think we can bring it in based upon what the architects are saying at $15.5 but you know there is a $4
million dollar cushion from the New Market Tax Credit. But what | would ask Fred is that you stay involved in
this and that you continue to come to these meetings and maybe participate a little more than you have and |
think that you’ve seen how many people are involved in this whole thing. | think if we work together in terms of
trying to come up with a quality project, we can do that and one that the City will be proud of.
Mr. Teeboom | appreciate that, but | will say that as a member of the public | can’t speak at these meetings.
Mayor Donchess
Well maybe we will open it up if you keep your comments a little shorter it would help.
Mr. Cummings
Thank you Mr. Chairman, | do want to just take a quick opportunity to address a couple comments that were
just made to make sure the record is accurate and reflective especially of which is because there was
gentleman who was referenced who could not be here to actually correct the record for himself. So President
McCarthy did not unilaterally do anything. There was a small working group assembled of various community
stakeholders, folks in the Arts Community, folks from the City, folks from the Downtown and they got together
over the course of the feasibility study on occasions, | would say once a quarter. It was through those
meetings that the idea came about to reduce the scope of the concept plan from what is articulated in the
Fennessy Consulting Report as option 1, 2 and option 1A and option 1B.
At that point it was all through our architect and Fennessy consulting who went out and had those cost
estimates independently verified because there was a question raised during the working group meeting that
there was these third party consultants who were not from the local market and they really wanted to make
sure that we had accurate labor rates and what not for the cost estimates as provided. So those cost
estimates were independently verified by a local group and all that data is available and up on the City’s
website and | thought | had made that clear on occasion. So | just wanted to make sure that is accurately
reflected for the record.
The other point | wanted to make is because this was reported in the news recently this summer inaccurately |
want to make sure folks know that there is money raised, so it is not like we don’t have any money raised for
the Performing Arts Center. | don’t know what that number is, there is a separate effort going on and it is being
led by our professional fund raising consultant Capital Committee and City Arts Nashua. City Arts Nashua is
currently under the care and custody of those funds. So there is money available but we are focusing on the
big dollar donations right now and then we will be transitioning into a second and then a third phase. The third
phase is more of a public campaign that folks have all been referencing. So | just want to make sure that is
accurate.
Mr. Teeboom | just want to say at the Public Hearing, | talked to Seamus Fennessy personally and he is ticked
off because he was never consulted on the so-called deduction of $16.4 million dollars. | should also say |
have never seen anything whatever the group is that Tim mentioned. The only I’ve seen are the spread sheets
of Fennessy, the other thing are the spread sheets of Harvey, $15 million and the spread sheets by Harvey to
the $10.5 million. If Mr. Cummings has back up the $11.5 million then he should produce that. I’ve asked him
that several times. I’ve heard him say in the public meeting that he has various sources, he is always being
kind of fuzzy where his $5 million came from, I’ve seen his memo where he advised the aldermen about 11.5
I’ve never seen the details. If he has them, | request that you produce that information. Thank you.
Mr. Cummings
I’ve provided it under multiple occasions and in fact | Know Mr. Teeboom has it.
