50°
NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. – The Northbridge Highway Department has on Thursday a new tool in its toolbox thanks to spring Town Meeting voters – a wood chipper.
Northbridge DPW Received New Wood Chipper
A tropical storm and early nor’easter last fall emphasized the need for a wood chipper, the town said. With downed trees and brush blocking roads, department of public works Director James Shuris had to borrow a wood chipper from a neighboring community.
With the purchase, “we’ll be able to clean up the mess right there,’’ said highway department Superintendent Robert Van Meter. A wood chipper is an “essential tool,’’ and Shuris said he is grateful for citizen’s support.
Van Meter pointed out that the department was frugal with the purchase. Voters OK’d a $40,000 appropriation, but the cost of the chipper was just under $30,000. The department also saved time by using the state’s bid list rather than going out to bid separately.
It was purchased from Norfolk Power Equipment and the device will chip logs up to 15 inches in diameter.
“We want to say thank you to the taxpayers,’’ Van Meter said, as he and his crew were given lessons on the safe use of the tool that can be towed to where it is needed.
Van Meter said the department of public works is always looking for ways to save money, and so far this year has saved the town between $40,000 and $50,000 by doing vehicle repairs in-house.
“Our guys are talented and resourceful,’’ he said, “and we can save a lot of money by not outsourcing.’’
Comments (19)
For those who asked and for those who care the new chipper is sitting outside right alongside the backhoe....................rusting.
28 cents a day and all of this neglect will end, 28 measly pennies a day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Guy,
Suggestively, an $8-$9 Million Dollar Facility is to expensive for Brigadoonebridge.
Bring it down to .6, or .7, .12, cents a day and you might have something.
Inculcation!
Juggy,
.6, or .7, .12, cents a day ain't going to happen.
Your parents sold you a false bill of goods before when they told you about Santa Claus when you were a kid. When you found out that Santa was a fraud you were presumably able to get over it right?
Well Jimbo and Co. sold you and others a false bill of goods with the $2.1+/- WWTP proposal...................................it's time for you to channel you inner kid again and GET OVER IT . There is no Santa and there will be no $2-3 million dollar DPW facility.
Also to bring this discussion back on topic, I just can't believe that the town never owned one of these machines until now. You would think this is one of those essential tools that any town would own, like a backhoe.
Just be sure it spends more time out on the roads than in the yards of town employees.
Covering all bets that there will be no newly builted DPW garage
The guy in front of the chipper probably wears those ear muffs year round so he doesn't have to hear all the bull about a new garage coming next. NOT
icecat,
Our DPW/Fire Station/School Facility Updates/Roads/Town Hall Renovations.
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing, and no good thing ever dies”!
Juggy
Now lets all vote to spend the .28 cents a day we need to in order to build a proper facility to store and maintain it in.
Or .6 cents a day for an economic DPW, new Saltshed, RR Crossing Fix at the WWTPlant, Providence Road 2010 proposal? Why does Brigadoonebridge maybe need a Showplace $8-$9 Million Dollar DPW facility? If a $2.1 Million dollar one did not pass, I doubt an $8-$9 Million dollar one may pass also?
From my understanding the Town of Palmer, MA, recently received an estiminate in 2011, for a 20,000-25,000 square foot brand new DPW facility, on their Town property, for a suggestive price of $4-$4.8 Million Dollars? Why is the Bridge new DPW proposal maybe suggestively $8-$9 Million Dollars?
FYI: Town Of Palmer MA., Town Manager’s Report – August 8, 2011, Page #3.
PALMER DPW FACILITY
"20,000 SQ. FT". 80' X 250' 25 BAYS * "$4,800,000"*
25,000 SQ. FT. 80' X 320' 32 BAYS $6,000,000
TOWN OF PALMER:
"The highway garage sits in a flood zone and was underwater during the 2005 flood; it also is cramped for space."
LINK:
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/interim_town_manager_in_palmer.html
Maybe our BPCC and new Eng., Firm could reach out to Palmer's BPCC and Eng., Firm and see how they can suggestively do it for potentially less money? Maybe a 17,000 square foot facility at the WWTPlant Site, may only be $3 Million Dollars maybe using Palmer's Eng., Firm or maybe our's could maybe suggestively recalibrate working all in harmony together?
Then potentially and suggestively "embrace" EPA, and the DEP for Brownfield Grants like Grafton did to suggestively attain their new Main Street Park. Like Grafton, like the Bridge, equals Fletcher Street Riverwalkway Park?
To bad the Towns people did not approve the $2.1 Million Dollar WWTPlant proposal in the Fall of 2010, it would have only been $20.00 a year to the average Taxpayer for twenty years. Would have had a real nice place to store the new Wood Chipper in right now.
Maybe the National Guard may let us store it in their Garage? ?
Inculcation!
Juggy,
Are they tearing down and existing facility?
Are they constructing a new salt shed?
When are you going to get it through your head that the $2.5 million number you keep throwing around is a FAIRY TALE number? Stop comparing apples and watermelons.
Guy,
When you wish upon a star, you may find that FAIRY TALES numbers, may come true.. :)
Juggy,
According to public information about the "Proposed" Town of Palmer DPW Faclity, the Town Manager is looking for funds to prepare preliminary studies to do a combined Police Station/DPW Facility. The costs are estimates only and are not compatable, at this point, with the current detailed studies inluding all of the elements of a project.
Would you venture to tell us who the engineering firm is that The Town of Palmer is using, without saying that all "Brigadoonebridgeians" should do their own research. You may find that there is no preliminary contract in place.
Even your $2.5M is not a match for the $4M - $6M for the DPW portion of the DPW/PS dependent upon how you read the article. We understand that there are many savings in a combined project.
UPSO,
I like Palmer's figure's potentially a big cost difference in our $8-$9 Million Dollar 20,000 square feet DPW's proposal, and their's 20,000 square feet for $4.8 Million Dollars?
Here's your requested Info, no matter how you slice it, appears a BIG suggestive cost difference.
FYI: Town Manager’s Report – August 8, 2011 Town Of Palmer, MA Page 3 :
14. The Council had requested updated cost figures for a new Police Station on the land behind
the Town Administration Building and for a new "DPW Facility on town-owned land" at
Burleigh Park.* "Reinhardt Associates of Agawam and Lamoureux Pagano Associates of
Worcester"* were contacted to help develop this information. Information on the current
facilities, staffing levels, activity and vehicle and equipment lists were provided to the
architects. John MacMillan of Reinhardt met with Chief Frydryk and me to tour the current
station and review previous plans developed in 2001 and 2002, and also to review the
trends in staffing and calls for service. I also met with Eric Moore of LPA to discuss the
projects. *"Copies of the information received from these Architects are attached, which is
summarized below:"*
PALMER DPW FACILITY: Seperate!
*20,000 SQ. FT*. 80' X 250' 25 BAYS **$4,800,000**
25,000 SQ. FT. 80' X 320' 32 BAYS $6,000,000
COMBINED: DPW Same Price:
PALMER POLICE STATION Size Project Cost
20 YEAR NEEDS 14,000 SQ. FT. $6,000,000
30 YEAR NEEDS 19,000 SQ. FT. $8,000,000
PALMER DPW FACILITY
20,000 SQ. FT. 80' X 250' 25 BAYS $4,800,000
25,000 SQ. FT. 80' X 320' 32 BAYS $6,000,000
Combined Summary:
TOTAL PROJECT 1st Year P & I @ 4% Impact on Tax Rate
$10,800,000 $972,000 $1.02
$14,000,000 $1,260,000 $1.32
Final FY11 Excl. Debt Payment $1,208,700 $1.27
UPSO, maybe if our Town is interested maybe a possible BIG savings? $4.8 Million Vs $8-$9 Million Dollars proposed facility? It appears the Town of Palmer has copies or information from the Architects for possible more info, if our Town may be so inclined to do a follow up?
Could you imagine potentially, if the Town may be able to save $4 Million possible Dollars? :)
Jugghead,
Yet again you are comparing apples and watermelons.
My guess would be that if you take HKT's numbers and look at the actual costs per ft. sq. for the actual building construction that they are comparable. When you factor in things like the Salt Shed, Demolition & remediation etc.. that where the differences come in. Why is that so hard for you to wrap your head around?
Look at it this way, the Highway Barn/DPW facility has been neglected and ignored for the past 20 years. Think of all the money that was "saved" by not maintaining it............now it's time to spend the money that was "saved" by being so "frugal" for the past 20 years.
Juggy,
Were these 3 architects "contacted" or "contracted" by The Town of Palmer?
UPSO,
I will answer it like this, did I not provide you with the information on the Architects? Maybe give them a call?
Your question relative to Contacted or Contracted I do not know. But still a big possible difference even in just a suggestive Contacted price? Would a Contracted price be $4 Million more dollars suggestively, over a Contacted price, kind of unlikely?
Plus while your at it do some more Google Searches on what other Towns in Massachusetts may have paid for 20,000 square foot DPW facilities, the information may surprise you. Hint: check Town of Deerfield, MA revised suggestive DPW Costs :)
Who knows maybe someone in our own Town Government may be interested in Palmer's suggested DPW cost for their 20,000 square foot DPW?
Bottom line UPSO, anything over $2.1 or $2.5 Million may be a crap shoot, remember the voters voted down an affordable $2.1 Million dollar facility in November 2010.
It is great to see that we obtained high quality equipment that will service the town for years to come. Please make sure it is not stored outside where it will turn to a rust pile.