GUILFORD – A year after the completion of Guilford’s new town hall and highway garage, town leaders have revealed the project’s final cost exceeded estimates by more than half a million dollars.

According to Town Supervisor George Seneck, the construction of the two buildings cost Guilford $2,173,240 – $523,240 over the $1.65 million authorized by voters.

“I’m not trying to cover anything up here,” said Seneck, who ordered a review of the project’s cost after taking office in January.

Seneck, who sat on the town board throughout the process, said he and other members of the town council were aware the project was going to exceed its budget as early as March or April of 2009. But even he was “significantly surprised” at just how far over budget they actually were, he said.

What went wrong? According to Seneck, it started with fundamental errors and miscalculations on the part of Keystone Associates, the Binghamton-based architectural and engineering firm with which the town contracted for the project.

According to Seneck, the municipality had originally been told by the firm that the project was “very doable” for the $1.65 million voters had authorized.

But when bids came in – at $1,941,800 – it became apparent that Keystone’s “cost estimates were significantly off,” he said.