A big-ticket item was just added to this spring’s Annual Town Meeting warrant: a Department of Public Works project that includes rebuilding three areas of the facility and making minor improvements to a fourth. The project is now in the design phase, and engineering firm Weston & Sampson told the Permanent Building Committee in November that the budget would likely need to be in the $10 million range.
At its Feb. 6 meeting, the Select Board voted to put the item on the April warrant, to be paid for by excluded debt. Voters will be asked to approve the borrowing both at Town Meeting and at Town Election on April 9.
The current design includes replacing the mechanic’s garage, which was built in the 1950s and is not high enough to handle the vehicles the town now owns. The garage is also in need of structural repair. The connector building, which houses the department’s offices, would also be rebuilt. That building would include men’s and women’s lockers, a unisex handicapped accessible bathroom, and offices for the director, an administrative assistant, and the mechanic. The six-bay garage, used mainly for vehicle storage, would remain, although a few renovations are in the plan. In addition, the pole barn, which DPW Director Tim Kilhart has described as being in the worst shape of all the buildings, would be replaced.
Permanent Building Committee Chair Pablo Carbonell told the Select Board that, should the project get the green light from voters, the bid documents would include a list of “deduct alternates,” items that could be cut if bids come in over budget. First on the list would be the pole barn, followed by the renovations to the six-bay garage, including a new heating system, new lighting, and fixing the concrete floor.
Select Board Chair Rich Maiore said the board visited the facility in 2022, and members used words like “alarming” and “shocking” to describe the condition of the buildings. He said there was no question that the renovation was necessary and asked the board for a vote to put the project on the spring warrant. But member Kara Minar was reluctant to do so before the town had an estimate based on the current design. “So, we have to vote, sight unseen?” she asked.
Minar said she was also concerned about the timing of the project, and wanted to know what debt would be coming off the books in the next few years. Town Administrator Tim Bragan said some major debt will fall off in fiscal 2026, but he had no details available at the meeting. If the town votes for the project, its first payment on the 30-year bond would be scheduled for the start of fiscal 2026.
The board voted 4-1 to put the borrowing on the warrant, with Minar voting no. “I totally support the project,” she said, but added that she wasn’t comfortable asking the taxpayers for such a large amount at this time. “I’d prefer to wait until the Fall Town Meeting,” she said.
