Lowell panel OKs $1.8M to hire engineers, Colliers flags $6.3M need for five priority fire stations

The Lowell City Council Municipal Facilities Subcommittee voted to authorize using $1.8 million of available FY25 capital funds to issue a request for proposals for engineering assessments and hazardous‑materials sampling at the city’s aging fire stations, members said during a March 2025 hearing.

Consultants from Colliers Engineering told the committee the firm has updated an older assessment and identified roughly $6.3 million in work to stabilize five “priority 1” fire stations, including structural, foundation and hazard‑abatement work that would allow the buildings to be safely inhabited while longer‑term decisions are made. “Those are the items that are most pressing,” Colliers’ Anthony Delizzio said, adding that the buildings are not collapsing but present unhealthy conditions for firefighters.

The work authorized by the subcommittee is limited to hiring engineering firms and completing material sampling and initial design work, not full station rebuilds. “We’re not talking about making these brand‑new, state‑of‑the‑art fire stations by any stretch,” Delizzio said. He and Colliers principal Angela Campbell told members the $6.3 million estimate covers engineering, design, sampling and the initial abatement and stabilization for the five priority stations; it is not an allowance to modernize all building systems.

Why it matters: Subcommittee members repeatedly framed the item as a worker‑safety and public‑safety issue. Councilors and fire department leaders said water infiltration, exposed suspect materials and shared living/gear spaces create potential health hazards that require prompt assessment and remediation. Chief Sharon said the city already has two apparatus‑bay projects under way at Lawrence Street and Gorham Street and that those efforts are roughly 10%–15% complete for Lawrence Street. “We have work being done on apparatus bays in both the Lawrence Street and very shortly the Gorham Street firehouses,” the chief said, describing temporary shoring and a floor strengthening project to accommodate a larger ladder truck expected in July.

Funding and next steps: Deputy CFO Austin Ball briefed the subcommittee on current capital balances: the FY25 capital plan included a $3.0 million appropriation for firehouse improvements; about $1.2 million of that has already been used and roughly $1.86 million remained unencumbered. The subcommittee approved using up to $1.8 million of available FY25 capital funds to issue an RFP for engineering and hazardous‑materials testing so the city can get updated, firm cost estimates. The motion was seconded by Councilor Dakota and approved by voice vote. The subcommittee instructed staff to prioritize getting firms on board quickly; Colliers and staff estimated sampling and reporting would take about 60–90 days after a contract is in place, though the city’s 30B procurement process could extend that timeline.

What the Colliers estimate covers: Colliers said it started from a 2018 EMG assessment, escalated line‑item costs for current market conditions and added soft costs (engineering, permitting, testing). Angela Campbell said the $6.3 million figure “gets us through the process of design and engineering and into the major projects for the stations” and includes hazardous‑materials testing and initial abatement work for the five priority sites. Colliers’ presentation and subcommittee discussion emphasized that the estimate is to stabilize and remediate priority health and structural hazards, not to replace or fully modernize stations.

Unresolved items and cautions: Committee members asked whether known hazardous‑material locations (for example asbestos or lead paint) had already been mapped; both staff and Colliers said individualized material surveys are required. Angela Campbell said the city could contract a sampling/abatement firm quickly, but that contracting and analytical turnaround will take weeks and be constrained by procurement rules. Colliers and staff cautioned the committee that full building repairs could trigger code upgrade requirements (for example, ADA or structural/code work) that add cost; the firm cannot finalize full cost projections until site testing and engineering assessments are complete.

What passed: The subcommittee approved issuing an RFP and committing up to $1.8 million of available FY25 capital funds to hire engineering and hazardous‑materials sampling services to assess the five priority fire stations. The subcommittee directed staff to return findings and cost estimates to the facilities subcommittee and to include a capital request in the FY26 budget process if additional funding is needed.

The meeting adjourned after the vote. No final dollar appropriation beyond the $1.8 million RFP authorization was made at the hearing.