Town Administrator Paul Dawson clarified renovation plans for the Town House Tuesday night at the Board of Selectmen meeting.

The Community Preservation Committee in September recommended that Town Meeting spend $141,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to hiring of an “owner’s project manager" for the Town House. The position is required by state law for projects costing $1.5 million or more.

Phase One of the restoration project is estimated at $1.5 milion, with a total bill of close to $5 million.

Dawson explained Tuesday that project details cannot be determined until the project manager, who will oversee the project from start to finish, is hired.

He said the town had an “existing conditions survey” done earlier this year to determine the current state of the building, not what needed to be done.

“The purpose of the project manager is to advise the town on how to prepare and figure out what needs to be done and to participate in the hiring process," Dawson said. “You can’t do anything until you have the manager. I can’t get preliminary designs or conduct a feasibility study until we have this manager.”

Dawson said a project manager was not required for the construction of the new police station, as the 2004 law requiring a manager had not yet gone into effect.

In other business:

— The Board of Selectmen decided to stand its ground in opposition to a regionalized dispatch center at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Last year, the Board was presented with a study from the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District concerning the possible consolidation of 911 dispatching.

In August, police chief Lincoln Miller and fire chief Thomas Joyce presented their cases as to why the program would hurt the town, specifically the costs of implementing a new communication system and the uncertainty of receiving grants. Miller said the police station doors would be locked after business hours as well due to a regional dispatcher being on call. A dispatch officer is always on duty at the station now.

Chairman John Henry, who is a sub-committee member of the Development District, was not present for the meeting Aug. 18 meeting at which the Board voted against the program in August. He asked for the Board to reconsider its vote in hopes to allow the study to be completed and address any other concerns other towns in the region had addressed.

— Marion Open Space Commission member Sue Maxwell Lewis sent her letter of resignation to the Selectmen. The commission will now meet with the Selectmen to appoint an interim member until the next town election.