Challenges Remain in Finding Temporary Space for DPW

Report on the Meeting of the DPW Building Committee, April 8, 2026

This meeting was held in person in Town Hall. It was not recorded.

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 3).

Staff: Bob Peirent (Capital Projects Manager), Dave Ziomek (Assistant Town Manager)

Search for Temporary Space for DPW 
At its April 6 meeting, the Town Council unanimously passed a motion directing Town Manager Paul Bockelman to submit a plan to relocate DPW employees from the leaking and crumbling DPW headquarters at 586 South Pleasant Street by June 29, 2026 and to move all workers out of the building by October 1. 

However, that goal may be difficult to meet. Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring told members of the DPW building committee that, although employees were eager to move from the problematic building, they do not want the town to waste money on building swing space that is not permanent.

Building committee Chair Christine Gray-Mullen also noted that renting swing space will decrease the amount of money available for the new building.

Eventually, workers will need to be relocated when the new building is being built at the site of the existing building. The building committee will discuss possible swing space at their next meeting, scheduled for April 15. A “field trip” to visit potential sites for temporary DPW operations is scheduled for April 29.

Request for Designer Adopted
Most of the meeting was devoted to developing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a designer for the new building. Applications from design firms for the $3 million contract are due Thursday, May 14, at 2 p.m.

The RFQ specifies that the design firm must have completed at least one DPW project in the last 10 years.

It also stipulates that the new building must be a net-zero building, and that the design firm is tasked with evaluating up to two other sites for locating some DPW services. 

There was discussion about whether the $3 million for design services was too low for the $35 million project, but Finance Director Sean Mangano thought that, despite the recent substantial increases in construction materials due to COVID and tariffs, the work of the designer has not changed. Councilor Pam Rooney suggested that the actual construction costs for the building will be considerably less than $35 million, since the total budget includes soft costs.

Mangano put forth a timeline for the total project.

RFQ submission 5/14/26

Designer selection: 6/30/26

Feasibility study complete: 9/30/26

Schematic design: 12/31/26

Construction docs complete: 6/30/27

Bidding and award of construction contract: 12/31/27

Construction begins: 3/1/28

Completion: 12/31/29

Continued Discussion About Site Selection
Despite the building committee’s charge to locate the new DPW building on the existing site, Gray-Mullen continued to raise the idea that the existing site was not ideal. She stated that a site location study done in 2016 evaluated 12 possible sites for the DPW and the South Pleasant Street site came in last. She asserted that the DPW needs eight acres, but the current site has only 3.25. She then asked that Wildwood School and the Ruxton property on Pulpit Hill Road in North Amherst be evaluated, along with Hickory Ridge on West Pomeroy Lane.

Bockelman agreed that Ruxton was a possibility for some DPW needs, but emphasized that “there is no appetite to look at Wildwood” as a permanent site for the DPW. He did not comment on Hickory Ridge. Gray-Mullen replied that a round-trip to Ruxton from the center of town was 45 minutes, while Hickory Ridge was “just around the corner.”

Will the New Building Be Net-Zero?
The General Bylaw states that all new municipal buildings costing over $2 million must be net-zero in terms of energy use. Rooney questioned whether that requirement could be eased for the DPW building. She thought that the large spaces needed for vehicle maintenance would be difficult to heat and cool sustainably, and that there might not be enough space at the site for the required solar panels or geothermal wells to adequately supply the building. Also, incorporating these measures would increase the project’s cost.

Bockelman replied succinctly that not meeting the net-zero requirement would necessitate modifying the bylaw. 

Permits Will Be Required for the Project
Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek, attending the meeting as a guest, noted that there is no zoning category for municipal buildings. Depending which sites will be used, the town will need to go before the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals for a permit. Although it is too early in the process to apply, he urged the committee to keep this in mind in their timeline for the project.