New DPW Building May Be on Horizon

The current Department of Public Works building is in poor condition and has likely exceeded its useful life, according to an engineering report.

Fixing or replacing it could become the town’s top priority, town board members said last night at a meeting at to discuss capital project priorities in town.

The building “has deteriorated far worse than any other building in town,’’ said Dan Pogorzelski, chairman of the Public Works Advisory Committee.

 Board members discussed forming a building committee to look at the condition of the building, the cost of fixing it and the options that might be available.

Residents at May Town Meeting may be asked to approve forming this committee.

Setting a timeline of town projects is challenging, some said at the meeting, because the potential cost of the DPW building and the library project have yet to be determined. The library is facing fines from the state for inadequate accessibility, so work must be done, but the details remain unknown.

Weston & Sampson Engineers Inc. of Foxborough listed a series of deficiencies within the DPW building in its report. They included:

Lack of office space to properly perform daily administrative activities and effectively serve the public.

Lack of sprinkler system to protect the staff and the portion of the multi-million dollar fleet housed inside the building.

Limited storage space, which forces a portion of the vehicle fleet to be stored outdoors. This impacts response time in the winter, results in unnecessary exposure of town vehicles to harsh weather conditions, accelerates deterioration of equipment and increases vehicle maintenance cost.

An underground storage tank is leaking water, Town Administrator Timothy McInerney said, which adds another issue to the mix.

A new building, the report said, would have many benefits, the report said.

“In general, a new facility would improve shop efficiency, increase fleet vehicle life expectancy, improve snow and ice fighting response times, provide a clean and presentable fleet, provide a code-compliant building and provide safer working conditions for all employees,’’ the report summarized.

The DPW building has been a concern for 15 years, said Pogorzelski

Employees have had to work in subpar work conditions for many years, he said.

The building, he said “has deteriorated far worse than any other building in town,’’ he said.

Forcing employees to work in these conditions, he said, sends a negative message and can lead to employee turnover.

School Committee chairman Kathleen Halloran said the boards need to form a united front in supporting the DPW building, if that is the direction they choose to go.

Doing that, she said, will give the issue more weight with voters.