In advance of Montague’s special town to be held Thursday, as a member of the Public Works Facility Planning Committee I would like to address recent questions.
At the November meeting, the six-member committee unanimously voted to recommend the DPW facility project proposal. For more than two years, the committee had met regularly, including with several town boards, thoughtfully engaging in its charge to study an appropriate public works facility and be thorough in its analysis of what best met the needs of the DPW to serve town residents. There was information gathering and review, lots of healthy discussion and disagreement at times. Since that time, three public information sessions have been held and the committee has attempted to be transparent in sharing its analysis and presenting its findings and conclusions.
There may be misunderstanding about the type of building construction with discussion around a “Butler building.” For clarification, Butler pre-engineered buildings are a recognized brand in the pre-engineered metal building industry. The committee recommended this style of building but not any specific brand or contractor. With this type of building the structural frame is metal, is set on a concrete foundation and is designed to handle snow and wind loads for our region. While the roof and walls are typically metal, there are different brick or block facades.
Various designs were presented to the committee with different layouts and variations of finishes. We reviewed them and chose a design with everything under one roof. We decided upon a metal building that fits our needs for office space, employee areas, ADA-complaint women and men locker/rest rooms, mechanics’ bays, equipment washing room, combined shop area for several departments and adequate storage space. This design was less expensive than what we had previously reviewed and better met the operational needs. According to the highway superintendent, the planned space will be fully optimized based upon current storage and work space needs.
While this has been a feasibility effort, many committee members know from both personal and professional experience, and appreciate the value in appropriately (and honestly) assessing needs and doing research in the early stages of any build project otherwise you can end up adding significant expense later on in the project.
The heated space area, including that for equipment storage, as well as the type of heat has been questioned. Radiant floor heat has been discussed but the actual type of heat and recommended temperature would be decided upon during the final design through a cost-benefit analysis with safety considerations. I began my career as a heavy equipment operator. While equipment can be parked outside and plugged in to ensure vehicles start, those covered in snow and ice present a safety issue. The public works crews can be called out all hours of the night. Having to climb on large trucks to clear them of ice and snow is risky and time-consuming. Inside storage has been proven to extend the life of equipment with less maintenance; provides for shorter emergency response time, and; enables faster, more efficient, daily startups.
The Town of Montague is experiencing some positive growth right now. Two large solar projects are near completion, three different companies in the industrial park are expanding their physical presence and a regional bus garage is proposed at the Sandy Lane site. Downtown Turners Falls has increasingly become a destination town with several great events and eating places with talks of another proposed restaurant.
Judicious and appropriate investment in necessary town services is vital to sustainably supporting this growth. Considering the condition of the current DPW facility and its important role in providing for staff and services that safely maintain our roads and overall infrastructure I’d ask you to favorably consider this investment in our residents, businesses and continued growth.
The Town of Montague is headed in a positive direction thanks to the good work of our town planner, administrator and the many residents that sit on town boards and committees. With an updated safety complex nearby, this committee believes the location and facility we have chosen is the right thing and now is the right time.
Ken Morin is a Montague native, Army veteran, sat on the Montague Personnel Board, Montague Conservation Commission, was a member of the Safety Complex Building Committee, and chairs the DPW Facility Planning Committee.