Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, Feb. 16
- Climate Action Committee, 10:30 a.m.
- Pamet Harbor Commission, 3 p.m., Town Hall
- School Committee work session, 4:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 17
- Board of Library Trustees, 3:30 p.m., Public Library
Tuesday, Feb. 21
- Board of Health, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starter
Projected 60% Jump in DPW Facility Cost
An updated feasibility study by engineers at Weston & Sampson of a new Dept. of Public Works facility shows a dramatic rise in the anticipated cost of the project.
In 2019, the total cost of design and construction was estimated at $18.6 million for a project that would have begun in 2021.
Cost projections made in 2022, following a “pandemic-driven spike” — due to supply chain challenges, labor shortages, and inflation — now indicate that the facility, if constructed in 2024, would cost $29.6 million.
If a new DPW building is not built, the report states, there will be costs for inaction, including temporary repairs and increased vehicle maintenance due to storage outdoors. The new facility would be large enough to keep the DPW’s vehicles inside, making it safer for the staff, according to the presentation.
“Employee safety is compromised when trying to clear off large equipment in inclement weather conditions,” the company wrote. Staff productivity, morale, and retention would also improve with a new facility, according to the presentation.
The feasibility study also presents three possible sites, all town-owned.
The first, at 340/344 Route 6, would entail the site-specific costs of a retaining wall, fill to even out the ground, and a fire pump. The specific costs for this site are estimated at $2.9 million.
The second site, at 24 Town Hall Road, would require the same site-specific construction as the first, as well as an offsite well and a pipeline for wastewater. If this area were chosen, the DPW would need temporary facilities during construction, and the site-specific cost would be nearly $2.7 million. Reconstruction of the offsite well at Snow’s Field would be close to $4.3 million.
The third site, on the 70-acre Walsh property, would require fire pump construction as well as a widening of the access road and improvements to stormwater structures. These site-specific designs and construction would cost just over $2.5 million.
DPW Director Jarrod Cabral will discuss the new facility at a public information session at 5 p.m. on March 8 at the Truro Community Center. —Sophie Mann-Shafir
