Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Expensive Puzzle Pieces

Over half DPW equipment is routinely stored outdoors
DPW Chief Guilford Mooring and Weston & Sampson consultants present to Amherst Select Board

The Amherst Select Board was given an informational heads up presentation last night concerning the new DPW facility, which clocks in at 8.5 acres but combines many functions now spread out all over town and with a somewhat startling sticker price of $37 million, but that will go down somewhat after one site is chosen.




Current DPW building has no fire suppression sprinkler system
 Giant Arbor Vitaes would be removed for new for Fire Station entrance

Currently the plan is for the new $65+ million Wildwood Mega School to allow Fort River to be abandoned so it can become the new DPW.  The beloved old current DPW "Barn" would be demolished (after a Historical Commission demo delay hearing of course) for a new South Fire Station.

 AFD Central Station is too old and cramped for a modern day Fire Department

And the old downtown Central Station could be used for either the Jones Library expansion or sold to a private developer to become a taxpaying mixed use signature building in the heart of our commercial district.

Fort River Elementary School:  Colorful new location for DPW?


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's mind-blowingly expensive. It should wait another few years. It's just too expensive to do with a new school in the works. Even if there is a cost-share with the state on the school that's just too much at once.

Kevin said...

The longer you kick the can down the road, the bigger it gets. Let's see if we can turn this into a 55-gallon drum!

Larry Kelley said...

Or a transatlantic cargo ship.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes things can just wait. We've lived without this mega-structure just fine so far. There's no DPW crisis. If anything a fire station for S. Amherst should be the higher priority.

Anonymous said...

What happened to all the budget Hawks?

Anonymous said...

That's a lot of Chevy pickups. Do we get a discount, or do we actually pay more than sticker because we love businesses so much in Amherst?

Anonymous said...

Ridiculously expensive. Amherst is not a big city. We've only got a limited number of taxpayers, especially will all the property owned by nonprofits.

Scrooge McDuck said...

Budget hawk here. Agreed, this is ridiculously expensive. I'm support an upgrade but this seems excessive. Nothing wrong with parking these vehicles outside. Come up with something half the price please. Or get out the paint and a power washer and clean up your existing facility and vehicles. Letting your existing assets rot is not helping the cause for getting a brand new building.

Dr. Ed said...

What was the final story on the demolished portable classrooms?

And why does the DPW need so many vehicles?

Larry Kelley said...

Umass wanted a backyard for their newly renovated building.

Amherst is a BIG town, and to do the upkeep job correctly you need the right tools.