DPW Building Committee Seeks to Hire Designer by July. Swing Space for DPW Workers? Maybe Not
Aerial view of Amherst's current DPW campus. Photo: Google Maps
Report on the Meeting of the DPW Building Committee, April 15, 2026
This meeting was held in person at Town Hall.
Present
Christine Gray-Mullen (Chair), David Ahlfeld, Joe Cook, Paul Bockelman (Town Manager), Guilford Mooring (Superintendent of Public Works), Sean Mangano (Finance Director), and Pam Rooney (Town Councilor, District 4).
Staff: Bob Peirent (Capital Projects Manager)
Guests: Cathy Schoen (Town Councilor, District 1) and Lynn Griesemer (Town Councilor, District 2), Dave Ziomek (Assistant Town Manager), Doug Marshall (Planning Board Chair), and Nick Grabbe.
Request for Qualifications Submitted
Finance Director Sean Mangano announced that the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a designer for a new DPW building will be submitted to the Central Register on April 16 and is expected to go live next week. The RFQ specifies that the hired firm will evaluate at least two sites in a contract worth up to $3 million.
The proposed timeline for the project is:
Submit to Central Register: April 16,2026
Central Register Go-Live: April 22,2026
Newspaper Ad Appears: April 24/27, 2026
Pre-bid Conference: Week of May 12, 2026
RFQ Submission Deadline: May 27,2026
Shortlist Finalists Chosen: June 10, 2026
Finalist Interviews: June 17-24, 2026 (in person)
Complete Negotiations and Choose Firm: July 15, 2026
Feasibility Study Complete: October 30, 2026
Schematic Design Complete: December 31, 2026
Construction Documents Complete: June 30, 2027
Bidding and Contract Award: December 31, 2027
Construction Begins: March 1, 2028
Construction Complete: December 31, 2029 (FY2030)
Mangano noted that the town has enough money in its capital plan for the feasibility study, schematic design, draft reports, and initial cost estimates, but will need an additional appropriation to proceed with construction documents and construction of the building, estimated to cost $35 million. Hopefully, this money will be allocated by the end of the year, Mangano said.
Capital Projects Manager Bob Peirent will work with Mangano to develop a point system to evaluate designer firm applicants with input from the DPW Building Committee. The RFQ specifies that applicants must have completed at least one DPW project.
Temporary Swing Space for DPW Workers
Town Manager Paul Bockelman noted that a TownCouncil motion at the April 6 meeting stated that all workers should be out of the current DPW building on South Pleasant Street by October 1, but Bockelman said there is no readily available town-owned space to move the DPW employees to at the moment. The only potential town-owned is space is Wildwood Elementary School on Strong Street, but that will not be available until September. It also has no space for vehicle maintenance.
Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring said that the lack of ventilation in the mechanical and vehicle maintenance bays is one of the major problems with the current site, and there is no swing space where all DPW vehicles can be stored. He noted that finding swing space for office workers is not really solving these problems. “A knee-jerk reaction to move is not the best use of money,” he said. He contended that the staff met and wanted the best use of the money allocated.
“It will be a challenge to meet the deadline,” Bockelman said. “Moving people out for office space is achievable, but our options are limited.”
Building committee member Pam Rooney said that the feasibility study would be helpful to determine which employees need to work in the same building and how much office space is needed.
David Ahlfeld noted that we wouldn’t want to move the DPW workers to Ruxton (the large site off Pulpit Hill Road in North Amherst now used mainly for storage) and then decide that that will be the permanent site for the DPW and have to move them out. Joe Cook said that it sounds like the employees are willing to stay where they are and use as much of the available funds as possible for new quarters.
Rooney suggested that the town rent temporary facilities for vehicle repair from Hampshire College. Bockelman replied that Hampshire’s vehicle storage space is in Hadley, and there is not enough space there to meet Amherst’s need.
Still No DPW Employee on the Building Committee
The Town Council also voted that a DPW employee be appointed to the building committee. Chair Christine Gray-Mullen pointed out that this would make the committee have an even number of votes possibly resulting in more tie votes. Bockelman agreed, stating vaguely, “There are some complications to consider.” He said he will keep the committee informed.
Site Visits Planned
In addition to visits to Ruxton and Wildwood School planned for April 29, committee members will also visit the Atkins and Centennial Water Treatment facilities and the Trees and Grounds facility on May 5 to determine whether swing space is available. They will also visit Hickory Ridge. The next meetings of the committee at Town Hall are scheduled for May 13 and 27.