MONTAGUE — Construction on the new Public Works building is expected to start in August, now that the Selectboard has accepted a $7.6 million bid for the work.
The new building will be in the now-wooded area behind the Public Safety building and will be accessible from Turners Falls Road, according to the design documents on the town’s website. The building will be about 28,000 square feet and about 30 feet high.
“We’re looking at a year or less to do the job,” said Public Works Facility Building Committee Chairman Ken Morin.
The construction company is called BW Construction, of Spencer. The $7.6 million is only for construction. Up to $11.2 million may be borrowed for the project, per a town election question in May 2018. But the final cost may now be less, Town Administrator Steve Ellis said.
About $900,000 of the $11.2 million budget is contingency, and the construction cost turned out to be about $900,000 less than expected — meaning that the town could have as much as $1.8 million left over, Ellis said.
“We are sitting in a very good spot relative to our anticipated budget,” Ellis said.
Costs could still change, pending unforeseeable circumstances that may come up while work is happening, Ellis said. The Public Works Facility Building Committee has authority to approve changes worth up to $50,000 without Selectboard approval. Ellis asked that he and Public Works Superintendent Tom Bergeron be consulted prior to any budget changes on the part of the Building Committee.
“The main thing is, we don’t want to hold up construction,” Morin said.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 261.