Weston & Sampson Recommended to Town Manager as Top Choice for DPW Facility Designer

By Maria Kopicki & Toni Cunningham

This meeting was held in Town Hall and was recorded.

After interviewing the three designer finalists, the Department of Public Works Building Committee (DPWBC) ranked Weston & Sampson at the top, HKT Architects second, and Helene Karl Architects (HKA) third. This ranking is a recommendation to the Town Manager who will make the final decision and contact the firms for contract negotiations.

Town Capital Projects Coordinator Bob Peirent began the June 23, 2026 meeting by reporting that the references for all three finalists met the criteria set out by the committee. Later during committee deliberations, Peirent revealed that one of the three firms, HKA, received one “somewhat negative” reference. Town Finance Manager and building committee member Sean Mangano clarified that the feedback was related to communication rather than the quality of the DPW facility that resulted.

Design Firm Presentations
First to present was Gregg Yanchenko from HKA, who brought two other team members. He noted that his firm has extensive experience in building DPW facilities and emphasized flexibility, durability, and sustainability in design. He did not foresee a problem meeting either the net-zero bylaw or the $35 million project budget. A sample design using the existing site showed that it pulled operations back from the eastern edge (bordering the Fort River), included an emphasis on insulation, solar panels (PV) on the roof, and incorporated passive solar to increase energy efficiency. Upfront investment in thorough geotechnical assessment, as well as geothermal for heating/cooling, right-sizing the building, seeking grants for PV, and utilizing off-the-shelf materials were suggested. He also encouraged transparency and acknowledging problems and flaws when seeking consensus. [Presentation link here]

HKT’s Amy Dunlap brought two of her own staff as well as three consultants. All members of the team spoke during the presentation and Q&A. They emphasized an iterative process that centered around charrette planning workshops to develop the design.They referred to the site as “tight” but presented four different site concepts that could accommodate the program, although they also mentioned that some construction could be deferred to the future. Like HKA, they envisioned geothermal wells and roof-mounted PV and mentioned radiant heating and ground-mounted panels. Cost estimation, material selection, and adequate contingency funding were noted as important. [Presentation link here]

Weston & Samson was represented primarily by Mike Richard and J.P. Parnas, with four other team members attending as well. They pointed out that more than 90% of their work involved public works facilities and that their firm performs everything except cost estimating and surveying. They identified cost and site as the primary challenges for the project, not the ability to meet net-zero requirements. To meet the budget, they estimated that the original plan from 10 years ago for a 79,000 SF building would need to be pared back to no more than 52,000 SF. They offered an on-site phasing plan to avoid the costs and delays associated with temporary relocation. One cost-saving measure they suggested for consideration was the use of pre-engineered metal construction. Water or geothermal-sourced heat pumps were proposed as well as radiant heating. [Presentation link here]

Building Committee Deliberations
While Weston & Sampson was ranked first by five out of the seven committee members present, both Mangano and Town Manager Paul Bockelman expressed concern that Weston & Sampson would have difficulty keeping within the project scope and budget. A previous plan for an Amherst DPW facility devised by them in 2016 was almost twice as large as the project will need to be this time around. “I worry about cost creep,” Bockelman said. He ranked HKA first while Mangano placed them a very close second behind Weston & Sampson. 

“HKA is a top two firm for me because they have Net Zero experience, brought optimism, and their technical application was the strongest,” Mangano said. Noting that contract negotiations would still need to be undertaken, Mangano cautioned that the committee should ensure they’re “really comfortable with their number two ranked firm.”

Many of the committee members appreciated the “charette” communication plan described by HKT, noting the importance of buy-in from DPW employees, members of the public, and the Town Council.

Committee Chair Christine Gray-Mullen lamented the project budget and what she perceives as space limitations of the current DPW site on South Pleasant Street. “We are designing to a (not-to-exceed budget) number and a site that is too small,” she said. “To start already with an inferior building and location is heartbreaking.”

Bockelman and Mangano both pushed back on Gray-Mullen’s contention that the budget and site were too small. “The budget is what we can afford without going out for an override,” Bockelman said. And regarding the site and whether it was large enough to hold a single DPW facility, he said, “we had three different design teams show us multiple designs that show a DPW on one site.” 

In response to Gray-Mullen’s assertion that the town had not saved enough funds to address both the DPW and a new fire station, Mangano said, “We’ve saved a lot of money. The challenge is we’re trying to do four major projects in 12 years.”  

In attendance at the meeting: Chair & resident member Cristine Gray Mullen, resident member David Ahlfeld, Finance Director Sean Mangano, Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Town Councilor Pam Rooney, Town Procurement Officer Holly Young, Town Engineer Jason Skeels, Capital Projects Manager Bob Peirent (non-voting member). Superintendent of Public Works, Guilford Mooring, was absent (Although the charge of the committee allows his designee to serve in his absence, Assistant Superintendent Amy Rusiecki was at the meeting but did not participate.) Joe Cook recently resigned his position as resident member. The meeting was conducted in the Town Room and on Zoom.