As most people learn soon after becoming homeowners, buildings need regular maintenance. And, as several Harvard officials have acknowledged lately, this town has tended to put off maintenance on its public buildings—sometimes until the situation becomes critical.
In the notes included with the selectmen’s budget request to the Finance Committee for fiscal 2017, the selectmen said they wanted to increase the money for building upkeep. The goal, the notes said, was to prolong the life of town buildings and prevent minor problems from becoming major ones that cost more to fix.
In a recent interview, Town Administrator Tim Bragan said he expects to present the selectmen with a plan by which a Department of Public Works employee would survey town buildings to identify items in need of repair or upkeep. Bragan says at least two current DPW employees have the broad knowledge needed for such a task. The position would become official in July.
“Our plan going forward is to be more proactive,” Bragan said. “We are trying to do better than in the past and more than in the past.” He said the DPW employee would coordinate repairs, with the actual work being done by local contractors who have bid to become the town’s suppliers. Bragan mentioned plumbing, electrical work, roofing, and repointing as examples of work that local contractors might do on a regular basis for the town.
Bragan mentioned the fire stations, the DPW building, the Public Safety Building, and Town Hall as ones that would be covered by the new plan. It was not clear to what extent other town buildings might also be included. The school budget includes its own money for building maintenance.
The current line item for building maintenance in the fiscal 2017 budget is about $22,000, according to both Bragan and Finance Committee Chairwoman Alice von Loesecke. However, that amount does not include the money several town departments spend on maintenance out of their departmental budgets.
Bragan has been working with a tentative estimate of $75,000, which von Loesecke said would be the maximum total amount—not an addition to the existing $22,000. She said in a telephone interview that she plans to talk with town department heads and look for line items in department budgets that will give her an idea of the town’s overall spending on maintenance.
