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Council approves $800,000 to replace city fuel depot at DPW campus
Summary
The council approved an $800,000 capital transfer (mostly from free cash) to replace tanks, pumps and controls at the Beverly Department of Public Works fuel depot, which staff said has reached end of life.
The Beverly City Council approved a request to fund repairs and full replacement of the fuel depot at the Department of Public Works (DPW) campus, with a total project cost of $800,000.
Project details and need: Assistant Commissioner of Public Services Eric Barber described the project as a full replacement of the depots tanks (two roughly 10,000-gallon tanks), pumps, piping, dispensers, awning and the aging computer-based management system. "All of that has underground piping that goes to tanks, and those tanks sit inside a containment barrier. All of the equipment needs to be replaced," Barber said. City staff said they solicited bids and the project scope includes new hardware and software as well as installation.
Why it matters: Barber said the fuel depot serves about 250 city fleet vehicles and 100 pieces of equipment; without reliable on-site fueling the citys day-to-day operations would be constrained. "If you look at what it would take to get all those pieces of equipment fuel to other locations... the options aren't great," Barber said, explaining the operational risk of losing in-house fueling capability.
Procurement and oversight: The city selected a contractor through a bid process and will use Webb Engineering for design and specification review. Barber said project oversight will combine DPW staff, the city engineering team and the consultant during submittal reviews; the contractor will supply equipment, installation and software.
Costs and timing: The project was bid and staff said the current equipment has been in service since about 1999. Barber estimated a 20-to-25-year expected service life for the new installation.
Council action: The finance committee recommended approval and the full council voted to approve the transfer (vote reported as unanimous in committee and at council). The funds will come from a remaining capital balance ($65,992) and $734,008 from free cash to reach the requested $800,000 total.
Ending: Councilors who asked about alternatives and long-range capital planning were told the fuel depot ranks high because it underpins city operations and that the DPW continues to build an asset-management program to prioritize capital needs going forward.
