HADLEY — Concern over significant costs for the architectural and design work for a nearly $30 million Department of Public Works headquarters is prompting town officials to scale back an initial request being brought to fall Town Meeting later this month.
The Select Board agreed on Oct. 4 with a recommendation from Town Administrator Carolyn Brennan and the Finance Committee, supported also by the Capital Planning Committee, to ask residents who come to the Oct. 26 meeting to appropriate $225,000, enough to pay for schematic designs and to hire an owner’s project manager, rather than making a $3 million outlay.
The reduced spending, which can be done within the existing property tax levy, would allow the town to get more details about the proposed 29,840-square-foot facility, including more precise cost estimates, though this spending would not get the project to the point of going out to bid.
“I think it’s no surprise there is concern about the cost of the whole project, as well as concern of the design and architectural work being done, and then not being able to move forward with the construction,” Brennan said.
Mmembers of the Finance Committee had voiced their worries about the $3 million estimate, with Amy Fyden observing the town could spend that money and then see voters defeat the full project at a later point. While she appreciates the need for the DPW building, Fyden said getting more buy-in from the community should happen first.
“I don’t want to just put the $3 million there, because I don’t see the whole thing going through,” Fyden said.
Finance Committee Chairman David J. Fill II said he has similar concerns about spending $3 million on the design and architectural work, only to have a final report sit on a shelf.
The current plans, done through space-needs analysis by Weston & Sampson engineers, include the 29,840-square-foot facility that would be constructed on the existing DPW’s 5.41-acre parcel at 230 Middle St., south of Bay Road. These plans include a two-story, 6,400-square-foot office building, four to five maintenance bays totaling 5,820 square feet, a 1,620-square-foot wash bay, and a 16,000-square-foot garage to store vehicles at no less than 50 degrees year-round. A new salt shed would also be built, and some existing buildings would be repurposed.
Michael Richard, a representative of Weston & Sampson engineers, told the Finance Committee that a phased approach is possible for the four parts of the process, including feasibility, schematics, design and construction
Richard suggested waiting on completing the schematic design.
“I think the town can handle it at this point a little better,” Brennan said. “You still have momentum to get this building done, but it’s in a more manageable way.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
