Acton select board backs scaled DPW plan, endorses Arrow Street option 4B
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Summary
After reviewing six alternatives from Arrow Street Architects, the Acton Select Board unanimously accepted the DPW Building Committee's recommendation to advance Option 4B for additional design work; the board voted 4'to—2 to endorse moving forward and directed staff to pursue targeted design funding for next year.
The Acton Select Board voted to endorse the Department of Public Works building committee's recommended alternative, Option 4B from Arrow Street Architects, directing staff to pursue further study and design funding for that option.
Option 4B combines a new, energy-compliant staff and service building with repurposing part of the existing 1970s-era DPW structure for vehicle storage. The building committee presented six alternatives developed with Arrow Street and recommended 4B as a compromise that concentrates investment on staff workspaces and workshops while limiting near-term construction cost.
The recommendation followed a multi-year design process that began with a Weston & Sampson feasibility study. Committee members reviewed how program area estimates were reduced from roughly 52,700 square feet in the 2021 study to 44,872 square feet presented at the May 2025 town meeting and evaluated cost and functionality trade-offs across the six options.
Proponents said Option 4B would address employee workspace, mechanics'shop needs and energy performance while postponing a full replacement of fleet storage. Arrow Street presented cost and area figures for the options: the original full project was said to have an estimated total-project cost above $39 million if built in 2027; Option 4B was presented as one of the lower-cost alternatives, with an estimated total-project cost near $29 million and a total area in the range of 37,523 square feet as shown in the committee materials.
Select Board members and building-committee participants debated three core priorities: affordability, functionality and longevity. Supporters argued Option 4B concentrates funding where it most affects staff safety and operations, and that the repurposed building could provide fleet storage for roughly two-thirds of current equipment while allowing future replacement of fleet storage when funding permits.
Critics, including one Select Board member who voted against the motion, said the scaled option leaves unresolved elements such as a wash bay and full indoor storage for the entire winter fleet. Board members and building-committee members discussed phasing, the potential need for structural reinforcement of the existing building, and the differences in operating costs between options.
Town staff said the next steps would be to refine the Option 4B design, develop targeted studies requested by the finance committee (including more detailed staff-space and equipment studies), and seek design funding at the May 2026 town meeting, with the possibility of a special town meeting later in 2026 to ask for construction funds if estimates and approvals proceed as planned.
Vote at the meeting: the board recorded a 4'to—2 vote in favor of endorsing the building committee's recommendation for Arrow Street's Option 4B; individual roll-call votes were not read into the public record.
The architects and the committee noted several uncertainties that will require further study, including the condition and expected remaining life of the existing structure (estimated informally at 15 to 20 years in a repurposed role), the final number of indoor fleet spaces needed during peak winter operations, and whether the mechanical systems will use air-source heat pumps or geothermal systems. The board asked staff to prioritize focused follow-up analysis on those points before advancing detailed design.
