Three Design Firms Selected as Finalists for DPW Building Project

Appointment of DPW Employee to Committee May Be Forthcoming

The DPW Building Committee met in the Amherst Police Station community room on June 10 with the primary goals of shortlisting design firms and finalizing the questions for upcoming interviews.

DPW Worker May Be Added to Committee
In response to a question from Committee Chair Christine Gray-Mullen about appointing a DPW employee to the committee, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said he could potentially submit an appointment request to the Town Council before its next meeting on Monday, June 15. If approved, the employee — Town Engineer Jason Skeels — would join the building committee in time for the designer interviews.

Three Design Firms Ranked Highly by Committee Members
Town Special Projects Manager Bob Peirent shared a printed sheet showing individual committee members’ scores and composite scores on submittals from seven design firms (no scores were reported from committee member Joe Cook). Three firms scored significantly higher than the rest, and the committee voted to invite them to interview. They are Helene Karl Architects of Groton, Mass. (64.8 points out of a maximum of 75), HKT Architects of Boston (62 points), and Weston & Sampson of Foxboro, Mass. (46.8 points). The other firms’ scores ranged from 5.8 to 37 points. DPW Superintendent Guilford Mooring noted that these three firms — along with a fourth, RGB Architects — were interviewed in 2016 for a prior DPW building committee effort.

Some Members Question Compliance with Net Zero Bylaw
As the discussion turned to the list of interview questions, members debated the Zero Energy Town Buildings Bylaw and whether it should be amended. The concern, raised primarily by Gray-Mullen and Bockelman, was the perceived difficulty of designing a public works facility that complies with the bylaw, which requires town buildings to meet zero-energy standards. Gray-Mullen asked Town Councilor Pam Rooney whether she thought a bylaw amendment would pass the Town Council; Rooney responded that it might be a split vote. Mooring pointed out that the bylaw already includes carve-outs for certain public works processes, such as wastewater treatment. Resident committee member David Ahlfeld noted that a carve-out also exists for specialized equipment and that the issue may simply require updating definitions. Finance Director Sean Mangano suggested waiting until the project is further along before determining whether a bylaw change is needed.

Committee members agreed the finalist firms should be asked how they would design a facility to meet the town’s Zero Energy Bylaw. Ahlfeld noted that only one of the three finalists — Helene Karl Architects (HKA) — had demonstrated experience designing a zero-energy public works facility, a project completed in 2020 in Medway, Mass.

Interviews and Final Ranking Set for June 23
After deliberation, the committee narrowed its list of interview questions and agreed that Peirent would share the questions with the three finalists and schedule interviews in the Town Room of Town Hall for June 23 at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and noon. That session will be recorded. Gray-Mullen said two committee members — Mooring and Cook — will not be available that day, but she expects the committee to have a quorum. Peirent was also asked to check references for the three finalists.

Following the interviews, the committee will discuss and agree on a ranking of the three firms to submit to Bockelman as a recommendation. Per the committee’s charge, Bockelman has the final decision on which firm to select.