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NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. – An $8 million price tag is attached to the proposed Department of Public Works redevelopment project on Fletcher Street in Northbridge.
HKT Architects, hired in January to study the project's feasibility, outlined the proposal and cost estimate at a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and Building, Planning and Construction Committee on Monday night.
The cost to the average homeowner would be $120.99 in the first year and $77.89 in the last, averaging $99.44 per year over the 20 years of the loan, Town Manager Theodore Kozak said.
The current DPW is a hodgepodge of buildings, vintage 1940, all in disrepair. It is situated on 2.37 acres, much of it in the floodplain of the Mumford River. The Whitin family deeded the land to the town with the restriction that it always be used for highway purposes, said BPCC Chairman Thomas Pilibosian.
The town has for years discussed the need for a new DPW facility and considered moving operations last year to town-owned land at the wastewater treatment plant on Providence Road, Pilibosian said.
The town was studying the feasibility of that plan when James Shuris took over as DPW director last September. Shuris said Fletcher Street, central to the community, was a better location for the DPW. He asked instead for a study on the feasibility of staying.
Voters at the Fall Annual Town Meeting last November approved $76,220 in spending to conduct that study.
In a PowerPoint presentation, HKT architect and principal Janet Slemenda said the BPCC settled on a 19,212-square-foot building located outside the floodplain. It would provide indoor storage for the DPW vehicles as well as two senior vans. Most of the DPW equipment, valued at $1.5 million, is stored outside or under tents.
It was important, she said, for the facility to be out of the 100-year floodplain. “They are first-responders; they must have access to the equipment,’’ she said.
The building scheme would also fit on the wastewater treatment plant property but would $1 million more there.
Shuris said the study answered all the questions he had about staying on Fletcher Street. “It’s a site that works, and it’s also less expensive than at the wastewater treatment plant,’’ he said.
“I’d like to pull the trigger and move forward with this."
Selectman Jay Athanas said the cost would be a hard sell to taxpayers. Selectman Thomas Melia said he was “shocked’’ by the price tag, noting previous estimates were $2.1 million and $2.2 million.
Previous estimates were for projects that did not go through the proper process, Finance Committee Chairman Salvatore D’Amato said. “This went through the procurement process every step of the way. It’s the first legitimate proposal with a legitimate estimate,’’ he said.
Pilibosian said the BPCC will discuss the new step at its meeting Thursday. Voters at the Town Meeting in October may be asked to approve spending for the design and construction.
Comments (44)
Ms. Gauthier,
What ever happened to the article about the update of the DPW held on 7/12/12?
I had a chance to watch a rebroadcast of the selectmen's meeting that had HKT's proposal for the new DPW facility. I was impressed with their knowledge, experience and professionalism and have complete faith in their proposal. The more information that HKT layed out about the project the more obvious it became that the previous WWTP proposal that was put before the voters by a group of well intentioned citizens was the equivalent to a Timothy Leary fairy tale.
For less than .28 cents a day (over 20 years) per average household we can complete this project. With the early payoff for the school it would mean that we could build this project and the tax rate would still be lower than what we were previously paying. This project will be something the town can be proud of and will serve it well for many years to come.
People need to realize that the numbers thay have in their heads form previous proposals just aren't realistic numbers.
28 a cents a day...........................
Guy,
I agree it was a nice presentation for Town's like Weston, Dover, Lincoln, Andover, Saudi Arabia, you have overlooked something this is 'The Bridge'! Remember in November of 2010 approx #800 voters, a super majority of Voter's., 'voted' an overwhelming big Bridge 'NO' for a $2.1 Million Dollar DPW facility. Which also would have cost them only $20.00 a year for twenty years, along with a new Saltshed and RR Crossing fix, at the WWTPlant. Again even if those that did not support it at the Fall 2010 Town Meeting supported it, still no way or very hard to over come #800 significant Votes.
Do you really think "The Bridge' is going to pass an $8-$9, Million Dollar Show Place DPW? Plus just do a Google search on other Towns in Massachusetts that have built new DPW facilities, in the last five years, costs vary from $1.3 Million Dollars all the way up to $8 Million Dollars with more then 20,000 square feet of operating space for some. Plus if we go by your line of thinking, the $2.1 Million Dollar WWTPlant facility would only cost the Taxpayers maybe #6 cents a day? The one #800 voters did not approve, remember?
My feeling anything over $3 Million Dollars may be strike three for the Town, plus maybe quite a possible big suggestive failure for the new BOS Chairman. If it's possible to get the 2010 BPCC, and the 2012 BPCC together to find out the BIG price difference in the 2010 WWTPlant site, and the new 2012 BPCC costs for the WWTPlant site? If their may not be some recalibration could the $75,000 Taxpayer funded DPW study be potentially worthless?
Plus if the average Joe and Betty, Bridgeite at the local Coffee Shops can tell you a $8-$9 Million Dollar DPW facility will never pass in Bridgeadoone. Plus if our potential Town Management, and maybe our Department heads may be potentially oblivious to what the average Joe and Betty Bridgeite may tell you. Then I am afraid our possible problems may be potentially far larger then the Town needing a DPW, Fire Station, Sutton Street, Town Hall Re-Hab, and major reconstructive surgery to our Town Roads.
How may we know as a Town when we have the right DPW proposal it may feel like, affordable 'magic', I guess???
Juggy,
When are you going to come to grips with reality? The $2.1 million WWTP proposal was a complete pipe dream based on a complete fairy tale.
I just did a quick search on new DPW facilities in MA. and this is what it produced. I don't know where you got your numbers of 1.3 to 8 million. This list is also the order in which they appeared in the search and it contains the year that the projects were proposed or built. Note:Not all were approved or built.
Whitman $9.3 mil year=2011
Wayland $12.75 mil year=2012 46k ft. sq.
Lexington $27.4 Mil year= 2006
Northhampton $26 million year=2011
Hudson $2.2 mil year=2011
Weston $11.2 mil year=2011 40k ft. sq. no salt shed
IMHDAO these numbers go to show that the $8 mill number is more realistic than the $2.5 mill number that was floated out there before. Especially when the $8mill includes demo and clean up of a former facility and construction of a new salt shed, it is a complete and true number to use. Your fairy tale scenario of 2.1/2.5 mill at the WWTP still leaves an abandoned facility at Fletcher Street that would still need to be cleaned up, that cost needs to be reflected in any comparison.
How do other towns do it? Easy:
1) Build like gangbusters when the economy is good
2) Push the costs of building out by decades
3) Make sure you have no long term capital planning
4) Push through override votes with heavy participation from the "yes" side and apathetic indifference from the "no" side
Easy. Well, until the economy turns south and the stimulus money dries out.
Ice,
The answer to your question..."Why can other towns have nice new town halls, police stations, DPW and fire stations?"
They are willing to pony up the 27 cents a day it costs. Like Jethro implied.....there isn't much you can get for .27 cents a day anymore.
IMHDAO the previous two proposed DPW projects failed because they were the wrong projects in the wrong places and they weren't put forth with the due diligence that this proposal has been.
Just A Guy,
It could be the first two past DPW projects potentially cramped a certain Town factions agenda?
It could be the former DPW Director potentially did not kiss a certain Town faction Golden Ring so maybe they were going make things potentially miserable for him and hope's that he may retire earlier?
Was not some of the Private Citizens that brought us the Fall 2010, WWTPlant, RR Crossing Fix, new Saltshed, some of the same people that brought us our excellent new High School?
How come due diligence for the past DPW projects but suggestively not for the $5 Million Dollar Road's Plan that went before the taxpayers not to long ago, and was voted down?
If the Fall 2010 $2.1 Million Dollar DPW proposal was approved this would have all been behind us now, plus RR Crossing Fix, maybe the Town paying less on Municipal Liability Insurance premiums?, and that would have only been about 5 cents a day to the Taxpayers.
Gee! I wonder what may be built at the WWTPlant Site if the new DPW does not go there?
Juggy,
There is no justification to the $2.1 price tag that was put on the proposed DPW facility at the WWTP. That number was merely a fictional number that was thrown together in a big rush by Jimbo, Neil, Jack, Dick and a few others. It was never designed far enough to be put out to bid and we were going on faith that it could have been done for that. Reality is that if it were designed further and put out to bid it too could have come in at 4? 5? 6? million or higher.
That whole project never went through the design process that this proposal did. I don't like the $8.1 million number assembled by professionals but I have far more faith in that number than the $2.1 that was concocted by well intentioned citizens.
The other thing about that $2.1 number.............it never took into consideration the decommissioning of the old facility. Even if the $2.1 facility could have been built it would have likely been followed by a $5 million +/- dollar park that should have only cost $500k if it weren't for the demolition of the former Hwy Garage, accessory buildings, salt shed, etc.. The fact is that when comparing the numbers the $4.5 million difference needs to be factored in somehow in order to have an apples to apples comparison.
Just A Guy,
I am not a Construction or Design expert I can only go by what the experts of BPCC, plus some of the Veterans that built our High School told us at the Fall 2010 Town Meeting. Plus do you not recall they were using the same process on how the High School was built?
Plus it was also confirmed by our Town Counsel, and Attorney D. Anderson of the Attorney Generals Office, if you review Article #1 of the BPCC Hand out that night.
Plus do you not remember that courageous person from the Finance Committee that stated he would be the personnel vanguard of the Taxpayers funding on the project, as a safety net? It would be like a Construction loan, if I recall the FINCOM was split on its backing. Plus I also recall the FINCOM Chair saying we were on the 20 Yard line. I am confident the Town could have gone the other 20 yards, on the $2.1 Million Dollar DPW, RR Crossing Fix and Saltshed proposal at the time.
Plus did not our Three Senior BOS, Town Manager, Town Counsel, support the Fall 2010 WWTPlant proposal?
My opinion with our excellent DPW, Brownfields State Grants, Fletcher Street would make a nice affordable Mumford River park like the one on Main Street in Grafton, across from the old Mill.
Juggy,
To the best of my recollection the BPCC wasn't the driving faction behind the Providence Rd./WWTP proposal. Im not even sure that they were involved at all in that project were they? My memory of that was that Jim Marzec and his "group" were the people who did all of the legwork for the WWTP proposal in order to get away from the Marinella garages in Linwood. Correct me if I am wrong.
As usual your statements are convoluted and confusing so inspite of reading it 20 times over I'm unclear of what you infer Sal was up to. I know that Sal was the one urging everyone to slow down on the project and to do some fact checking before we plunged head first into something. He was the one that was championing (sp?) to wait for the next TM in order to have time to go over everything and verify that the #'s were in fact accurate.
You state that "Three Senior BOS, Town Manager, Town Counsel, support(ed) the Fall 2010 WWTPlant proposal". Just because those people supported something that doesn't mean that it was a sound and just proposal. It just means that they allowed themselves to be sold a false bill of goods. Thankfully the voters in attendence were able to come to the right conclusion.
Whay are you so confident that "the bridge" could get a Brownfield grant to clean up the "former" site of the DPW if it were to be moved? If there is no grant money to be had the Town would still be on the hook for the clean-up costs. Besides look at how many years it took for the park to be created after the Fisherville mill fire happened. Do you think the people of Fletcher St want to have an abandoned facility in their back yards for the next 20 years or more?
Just A Guy,
If you read the BPCC Meeting Minutes 2010 it reflects the BPCC were involved.
Never implied the FINCOM Chair was up to anything, if I recall the FINCOM was split on the proposal.
I stated the FINCOM chair from my recall said we were on the Twenty Yard Line, I guess you can apply different meanings to that expression.
That's your opinion on the Bill of goods, many feel the proposal was solid like the past High School proposal these similar people brought to the Town. If I recall it only lost by eight votes at the Town Meeting, plus to this day some say the ballot question in November of 2010 was very confusing to a lot of voters. Some still tell me they did not know it was only going to cost $20.00 a year for twenty years, if they knew that they would have voted for it.
Reference the Brownfield's Grant I am confident if our BOS were very dedicated to this mission, it could be accomplished, adding the Town is now represented by two State Senators, and a long time tenured House Representative.
Can you honestly think that this Town is going to vote for an $8 Million Dollar DPW facility, honestly, especially in this economy? Plus where history has shown the Town voted down two past DPW proposals that were under $3 Million Dollars. Lets build a smaller DPW at the WWTPlant, correct the RR Crossing, and move methodically in turning the Fletcher Street site into a park. Unless that may hinder another possible factions agenda for the WWTPlant site, you never know?
Juggy,
BPCC may have been involved but if they were my recollection is that it was a very limited basis at best. I recall Rob Knapik delivering the proposal but not much else from the BPCC. They were no where near as involved as they were for the Linwood proposal.
The WWTP site proposal was the product of Jimbo and his group of well intentioned citizens. Let's be real here......there was NOTHING solid about the WWTP proposal. I distinctly remember it was based on things like phone calls with one person at the P&W R.R. and a price for a crossing that was given over the phone literally right as Jim was walking into the meeting. It was #'s compiled by Dick, Jim, Neil and others off of other projects.
This new proposal was designed and compiled by professionals who used actual drawings and get ready for this, they used............................FACTS. Judging by the figure they came up with they included ALL of the real costs associated with the project. Unlike other proposals that have been put before us where we have #'s that reflect just buying what we have to and don't include other real costs associated with it such as the cost of cleaning up the mess that was left in the wake of exiting the old facility.
Let me give you an analogy. That would be the equivalent to John Q. public buying a condemned house and lot for $200k, then spending $150k razing the old house and putting in a new septic system. Then paying a builder $250k to build him a brand new house on that lot and telling everyone after that the house only cost him $250k thousand. Juggy..............no matter how you slice it that other $350k represents your cherished park.
You just stated that "many feel the proposal was solid like the past High School proposal". Evidently not too many because the proposal didn't pass and on top of that no one ever furthered the idea. My personal thought is that it was never furthered because it became evident that it didn't pass muster.
You also made a statement that " (Reference the Brownfield's Grant) I am confident if our BOS were very dedicated to this mission, it could be accomplished, adding the Town is now represented by two State Senators, and a long time tenured House Representative". Let me ask you this, how can you be sooooo confident that these people can come up with Brownfield $ when they haven't been able to get MA Highway to fix friggen Sutton St. for the last 15 +/- years?
Just A Guy,
Again if you review the BPCC Meeting Minutes 2010, you will see they were fully involved, the fact remains they were involved. But maybe not to the degree of your possible liking?
The WWTPlant Proposal was also the product of four Professional Engineers, P.E's next to their names, and some of the same veterans that brought us our new High School, correct? I agree the new proposed $8 Million Dollar Show Piece DPW was formulated by professional's also. Similar have you ever done any work to your home or residence, do not people usually attain three estiminate's. In essence we have two, I agree a lot of unknowns, costs, with the clean up of Fletcher Street.
It only lost by eight votes at Town Meeting maybe some were confused? #800 at the ballot box, I think it was more of a cost factor. That is why in my opinion a $8 Million Dollar DPW may never fly in 'The Bridge'. But if people now know that 2.1 Million or $3 Million is an excellent deal, plus we get the RR Crossing fixed it may have a new lease on life?
The reason the Sutton Street funding would be harder because it is in a large pool of State money for all of the States Municipalities competing for, correct? The Brownfield Grants suggestively would be dedicated just for the Town, which in my opinion may be easier to attain with strong local political effort.
In my opinion the WWTPlant also failed because it may not have fit into a suggestive faction's possible agenda also, in my opinion.
Juggy,
What part don't you get? How can you possibly continue to think that the $2 million number is even remotely feasible? The agreed upon professionals gave a cost estimate for the Providence Rd. site too and it was even higher.
I for one am convinced that there is no way to get a DPW facility for even close to the $2 million mark. Heck they wanted nearly one million to put down a new rug on Lasalle field. Do you really think they will build a new DPW facility at the WWTP and fix your beloved RRxing and properly clean-up the old DPW facility for less than the $8 million???
The $8 million is a real # it's time for people to wrap their heads around this and pony up the $ and move into modern times.
Get real Juggy.........get real.
Again who or what is this ficticious evil "faction" you keep referencing?
Just A Guy,
I guess I agree to disagree, in today's world you have to be a very smart 'real' shopper.
Like remodeling your home you attain usually three different estiminates, you adjust, recalibrate, then most people do what they can afford. Lets face it no way the Town will approve an $8 Million Dollar Show Place,DPW facility in the opinion of many.
Maybe the BPCC should reach out to the people that brought us the Fall 2010 Town Meeting, $2.1 Million Dollar proposal, review everything again? Bring the new Design Firm in also have a good Table Talk discussion with both groups, find out why two prices may be so far apart? I agree cost's have gone up maybe close to $3 Million Dollars now? Who knows,but we won't know unless we dot all our I's and cross our T's?
In my opinion if the Town may want this to pass they may have to sharpen some pencils way down to the stubs.
Never said the possible suggestive faction may be evil, just a suggestive potential faction.
Juggy,
Again with your classic line of "I guess I agree to disagree," It's the cop-out that we all hear when you run out of words of wisdom. It signifies that you have reached a point where you have run out of game and realize you got nuttin, nada, zip, zero, zilch.............
You want three estimates now? So you think it would be wise to hire two more firms like HKT at a presumed combined cost of $152,440.00 ? That would equate to nearly a 1/4 million ($228,660.00) on feasibility studies for this year alone for the DPW alone.
Enough with the studies!!!!!!!!!!! Tweak the current proposal for Fletcher St. and lets move forward.
Juggy you must sleep with a tinfoil hat on at night.
Just A Guy,
You are out of the loop, have you not been in all the upscale fashion shops lately in NY City? Tinfoil hats are back in Vogue, plus reasonably priced....lol
Juggy,
Enough deflection. What do you propose for a resolution? Another $150k and two more studies?
ALL,
Correct me if I am wrong. The Fletcher St property was deeded to the town by the Whitin family. Is there not a stipulation on the deed that states the land must be used for Highway Use/Maintenance?
A park is not feasible if that is case, no?
Let the Town Counsel figure it out?
May the deed restriction may only be enforced by the people who conveyed the land to the Town?
Just A Guy,
We THANK you!
Juggy,
Q. "Gee! I wonder what may be built at the WWTPlant Site if the new DPW does not go there?"
A. Passive/active recreation facilities?
UPSO,
You give me 'hope' that not everyone is watching American Idol, or Jersey Shores.. :)
Juggy,
That response did not satisfy anything but your EGO.
UPSO,
I agree to disagree nothing to do with suggestive EGO, just glad that other people may have a possible interest in the Town.
If you have not noticed so many people I speak with in Town do not even know who our Selectmen are, or Town Manager, or even where the DPW is located. Plus that their is even Athletic Fields behind the High School. or that they may potentially care..
Juggy you are so wrong when you say the former dpw director didn't kiss the right people oh my god wake up jug he was so far up there he was a know hemroid on so of them
Professional relationships revolve over almost 20 years of Service, but their was one faction ring he did not kiss in my opinion.
Juggy,
Tell us. Who didn't Dick suck up to?
Just A Guy,
If he was such a Suck Up as you may allege, apparently he was not to good at it if his 'annul' DPW Budget was level funded at a whopping non adequate $1 Million Dollars for many years.
If he may not have had the professional relationships that he did developed over his long tenure with the Town, may his non sufficient $1 Million Dollar annual budget have been suggestively lower then $1 Million Dollars?
One of an Administrators main focus is to attain as much funding as he can for his Department, but due to suggestive overwhelming adversity the most he was able to attain was $1 Million Dollar which was obviously insufficient. If you may need confirmation just drive around Town on our roads, surely you will see what I mean.
Tell us. Who didn't Dick suck up to? That information is set to be released in the year 2525 :)
Juggy,
Get your "facts" straight. I never alleged or inferred he was a suck up, I merely sought the answer to your statement of "what factions ring he refused to kiss"
Juggy tell me............were you ever in the Airforce?
Just A Guy,
Nope, never was in the USAF.
You didn't tell us who's ring Dick refused to kiss. Please tell us.
Just A Guy,
It may appear you may be 'out of the loop' on this one, can you imagine? The answer you are suggestively seeking you may have to find on your own. :)
Who is it Juggy?
I call BS and it's another baseless figment of your warped imagination.
I don't have "sticker shock". This is what real facilities cost out there in the real world
.
Do you realize that this town wouldn't even have had the money to pay for these architectural designs were it not for the insurance payment for the collapse of the red barn at the DPW? That tells you a lot right there.
Now, the new manager there is talking about how awful the place is. Oh, really well gee, thanks for telling us, we've only been trying to get a new place for at least 10 years. Sorry we don't have a new place for you to work in.
If it's so awful how did the old manager and those workers ever get anything done? My thanks to ALL of them.
Finish this project and get going on a new Fire Station. Very out-dated facility.
At first, I had sticker shock. Then, I realized that this will cost the average homeowner about 27 cents a day for 20 years. My newspaper costs more than that. I'm in.
Why can other towns have nice new town halls, police stations, DPW and fire stations? What is Northbridge doing wrong? Look at Natick, Framingham, Hopkinton,upton, well what are we doing wrong?
"$8 Million Dollar New DPW Proposal" (An Opinion)
As a long time Taxpayer I think the first thing we may have to consider that Northbridge is not a Lexington, Lincoln, Sudbury, nor may the Town need a Show Piece for a new DPW but rather a very affordable and functional DPW, Blue Plate Special.
I think I can say with confidence we are living in 'very challenging' economic times, taxpayers have yet to see their new Property Tax Bills for next year along with the Town's #2. 1/2% operational increases, plus other new agenda items recently approved by the Town. Plus on top of that our Water and Sewage Bills, with the additional flavored Surcharge's, then not to mention everything else that regularly goes up, consumers are faced with. Plus their is one Political Party that suggests, changes may have to be done to Social Security and Medicare. So in essence their is a lot of economic uncertainty for the general populace, which may be an understatement. Plus to also include if Europe may need an economic bail out from the American Taxpayers in the near future, and how that may effect the average taxpayer?
I think we may need to face the "Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", lets be real shall we if approx #800 Voters did not approve a $2.1 Million Dollar DPW proposal in the Fall of 2010 that would have only cost them $20.00 a year for approx #20 years then I doubt an $8 Million Dollar DPW proposal may pass, in my opinion?
I also did not hear if the new DPW on Fletcher Street is going to be hooked upped to Town Sewer, plus would it need a pumping station or its potential total costs if Town Sewer is planned? Plus I also thought I heard of potentially removing contaminated soil at the Fletcher Street site, 'more unknowns' and would not the DEP and EPA have to be involved with potential contaminated soil removal? Plus the suggestive argument that our DPW may not be able to function from Rt-122 , Providence Rd, is kind of interesting, does not our Police Station function from Rt-122, or Hope Street?
Plus I noticed our Municipal Liability Insurance potentially went up almost $50,000 dollars in the recent Town Budget. It is unknown why to this author, but may our Municipal Liability Insurance may also go up if the RR Crossing at the Waste Water Treatment Plant may not be corrected eventually also, plus other assorted factors?
'Strange' did not our FINCOM Chair not to long ago suggestively support a robust $9 Million Dollar, Roads Improvement Plan while sitting next to our former DPW Director at a past BOS Meeting? (We do not know what is under the roads?) Then a suggestive $5 Million Dollar plan suggestively absent of a comprehensive road specific, Engineering Road Repair Plan for the Town Roads not to long ago at a recent Town Meeting? If the $5 Million Road Repair Plan may have been approved by the Tax Payers if I may recall? Plus at the Fall 2010 Town meeting did he also suggestively not say we were on the #20 Yard Line with the WWTPlant $2.1 Million Dollar Providence Road Site proposal? Surely as a Town we can move an another #20 yards if not something may be suggestively wrong in potential Denmark?
'Strange' suggestively was not some of the excellent people that brought us the $2.1 Million Dollar DPW, Saltshed, RR Crossing Fix at the WWTPlant, Fall 2010, some of the same people that brought us our new High School? Plus did not some of these same potential people just receive excellent written Commendations for Intrepidity from our Town BOS, Town Manager for the new High School facility, and how it was built?
'Strange' when ever a potential suggestive Private Business on Douglas Road may move its little finger in potential connection to the Mumford River? Is not suggestively the State's DEP, maybe their with potential many aspects of suggestive possible conditions? 'Strange' the State's DEP appears maybe absent from the Towns suggestive 'New Build" from only a stones throw from the Mumford River?
My two cents only, the abutters of the DPW deserve a nice Park like the recent Park on Main Street in Grafton was turned into from a Brown field's area. With the WWTPlant the thought line of everything being together still makes sense, plus the RR Crossing is fixed. Lets all work together and tweak the WWTPlant site, and move forward with an economical DPW proposal that the taxpayers of working class Northbridge will be able to afford.
I think what Juggy was trying to say is, Mr. Shuris, please be prepared to work out of the existing DPW for the foreseeable future.....Northbridge won't pony up $8 million for a DPW.
bruinsfancam8,
Thanks for the condensed version, 'sad but true', I cannot see $8 Million Dollars if the $2.1 Million WWTPlant or Linwood options both failed. Both were under $3 Million dollars if I recall correctly?
Can't wait for the estimate to come out for the new fire stations that we all know will be next on the bucket list....
W1,
It's now obvious that what was proposed 2 years ago was a bunch of horsechit........
Sal hit the nail on the head by saying that this is the first legitimate set of numbers that have been set forth, this time by building professionals. All of the other numbers were set fourth by an overzealous selectman and a cluless DPW director both with a specific agenda. Jim was doing it all by the seat of his pants without a real clue about building and construction or the procurement process. To the best of my knowledge there were no stamped/engineered plans or specs for that previous proposal, just some sketches drawn up by a well intentioned Mr. Mitchell. It seems now that all of the ficticious #'s were based on things that weren't true or accurate.
The article doesn't say it but I assume that the $8.1 includes the demo and clean-up of the existing structures. Even inspite of that it still comes in at $1 million cheaper than the same building Sewer bed proposal (one would assume with Juggy's RR crossing).
It's time for all of the people who claim that they want to see the DPW enter the modern world let their actions speak louder than their words, vote to cough up the $100 bucks a year.
I say lets have Jim and the BPCC have a chance to do a bit of value engineering, tweak this proposal a bit to get the numbers a little tighter and lets move forward with this.
and wasn't there a proposal a few years ago to by buildings in linwood for about the same $2.5 million? didn't the fin chair speak against those because the process wasn't quite right? so even if those price were off by 100% still half the cost of this proposal. wait. what? what kind of dumb monkey would support this?
I'm the one that has always wanted to move the town forward, improve our services, schools, road.
BUT WHAT THE &%#??? My memory is pretty darn good. The plan I voted for two years ago was about $2.5mm and was going to cost about $20 a year. The folks who shot that down with misinformation should be crawling back into their holes.
I don't think I will support this one bit.