North Stonington — When the job opening for the next needed position for the new $6.36 million emergency services building — a clerk of the works for phase two — closed May 20, there were five applicants.

Members of the Emergency Services Building Committee quickly were able to weed out three who, Vice Chairman Joe Cassata said, did not meet the position's requirements.

The remaining two are Lou DiCesare II, the town's building inspector, and Stadia Engineering Associates Inc., the group performing the clerk of the works duty for phase one of the project.

Initially, members of the building committee and First Selectman Nick Mullane were leaning toward choosing DiCesare, whom Stonington recently fired from his former position as highway manager.

That would mean combining the clerk of the works, who oversees the work site each day, and the building inspector, who checks that things have been done properly as needed, into one position.

Mullane repeatedly has said choosing DiCesare would save about $40,000. But Cassata on Tuesday night said only Stadia sent the committee an official proposal with expected rates.

DiCesare "did not submit payroll or cost per hour," Cassata said, calling the $40,000 "speculation."

From the outset, Selectman Bob Testa has asked if combining the two roles would eliminate a crucial check and balance.

Because the new building likely will be financed by a $6.3 million set interest rate USDA rural development loan, committee members deferred the question to USDA area loan specialist Norman St Jean.

But there have been several emails and many questions asked, including whether it would be a problem to have the town building inspector be the building inspector for the emergency services project.

"We believe it to be an unacceptable conflict for the inspector to be inspecting the job he is supervising," St Jean wrote in an email Monday morning without specifying to which position or positions he was referring. "This Agency declines the request."

When contacted Wednesday, St Jean, after a lengthy discussion, said the USDA would see it as a conflict if the town's building inspector was also building inspector for the project. But he added that he hasn't seen a town lose USDA loan money for any reason.

St Jean said he had no comment regarding what the USDA thinks about combining the clerk of the works and the building inspector positions.

"What the town decides to do, we will have to look at it and see if we can approve it or not," he said.

Cassata asked project manager Peter Springsteel Monday to have a conference call with the selectmen, USDA representatives and any lawyers involved "to resolve this once and for all."

Cassata said he wants to make a final decision regarding the clerk of the works at the committee's Thursday meeting.

l.boyle@theday.com

Twitter: @LindsayABoyle