The estimated cost to renovate the main building at Harpswell’s A. Dennis Moore Recycling Center & Transfer Station has increased to nearly $1.8 million — double the amount of a preliminary estimate just one year ago.
Engineer Will Haskell, of South Portland-based Gorrill Palmer, delivered the bad news to town leaders during a Select Board workshop on Aug. 21. The civil engineering firm has been working with Harpswell on a multiyear project to improve the recycling facility in phases.
In 2024, the firm put together an early “concept cost” estimate of $800,000-$900,000 to renovate the building. But at the workshop, Haskell said the estimated cost has increased significantly since then to $1.77 million.
“At the end of 2024, we retained a professional estimator to put together costs,” he told the Select Board. “When those came back, it was a little eye-opening. They were quite a bit more expensive than the estimate we had put together as part of the conceptual design.”
The proposed renovations include structural improvements to the 40-year-old building, as well as a new roof, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical and drainage systems.
Based on the new cost estimate for renovations, Haskell said, it would actually be cheaper to tear down the recycling center and build a new one from scratch. The current estimate to construct a new metal building is about $1.47 million, he said.
Haskell explained that the renovation would be challenging because of the need to work “in and around existing infrastructure” and to demolish and rebuild portions of the building, among other factors.
The estimate for new construction doesn’t include the cost to demolish the existing facility, but Haskell said it would be minimal compared with the overall project cost.
Harpswell has no municipal garbage collection, so most residents bring their trash and recyclables to the Recycling Center at 21 Community Drive, just off Mountain Road. There are no fees for basic household trash and recyclables.
Further up the road is the transfer station, which charges for the disposal of construction debris, furniture, home appliances, tree trimmings, batteries, tires, and other large or hazardous items.
Haskell said he is concerned about recent increases in import tariffs on metals, which he said could have a “significant impact” on the cost of a new building, since most of it would be metal. Prices for other materials are also fluctuating, he added, “mostly in the up direction.”
He advised the town to proceed as quickly as it can before costs go up even more. “I don’t see (them) coming down any the longer we wait, unfortunately,” he said.
Town Administrator Kristi Eiane said voters have already approved funds for a $900,000 renovation project. Given the new, higher estimates, the town will need to ask residents to approve a higher amount. That will likely happen at the next annual Town Meeting in March.
In the meantime, the town plans to assemble a seven-member working group to develop a plan for how the new facility would be used. That work, which would need to be completed by late January, would help town leaders narrow down their options for construction.
Chuck Perow, manager of the Recycling Center & Transfer Station, said the project probably wouldn’t break ground for at least another year. “I’m thinking we’re not going to see construction until fall of 2026 or spring of 2027 — that’s probably the most realistic at this point,” he said.
