Municipal Complex Committee recommends Turner Group for Brentwood project study

The Municipal Complex Committee on June 3 recommended that the Select Board move ahead with a notice of award to the Turner Group to prepare concepts and cost estimates for a proposed municipal complex in Brentwood.

“So the agenda for today really is focused on a recap of the RFQ submissions and the interviews that were conducted on Friday the thirtieth,” said Eric, a member of the Municipal Complex Committee, summarizing the meeting’s purpose.

The committee shortlisted three firms from five RFQ submissions — the Turner Group, Brensinger Architects and Warren Street Architects — and interviewed those firms on May 30. Committee members said they coalesced around the Turner Group because of its experience with projects of similar scale, its local engagement and its approach to community education and outreach. The committee voted, by voice, to recommend the Turner Group; no oppositions or abstentions were recorded.

Committee members said they want the Turner Group to develop three core concepts: a police-department–only facility; a joint police and other municipal offices facility; and a police department with dedicated site space or internal shell space for a future municipal building. The scope should also include an assessment of renovation costs for the existing town hall (basement and main building systems such as HVAC and electrical), so the town can compare renovation versus new-construction options.

Members emphasized public education and outreach as part of the scope. The committee asked that the firm plan community events and materials — for example, displays at National Night Out, surveys and newsletters — and that project materials be posted on the town website with dates and authorship so residents can track the most current documents.

Committee members discussed technical and site concerns to be addressed in the study: traffic impacts on Route 125 and Smith Road, emergency egress (a second in/out), stormwater and septic considerations, and life-cycle energy and maintenance costs, including solar readiness and electric-vehicle charging. The Turner Group told the committee it would provide renderings, site plans, cost estimates and a technical memo describing advantages and challenges of each concept; Turner also indicated it uses an independent estimator and has experience with construction management at risk and construction-manager-led delivery.

Budget context discussed at the meeting included a past project referenced by the Turner Group with a roughly $3.3–$3.5 million benchmark (described by a committee member as a multi‑year, prior municipal project that came in under budget) and a general New England contingency/adjustment note of about 20 percent for present-day cost escalation; no formal cost estimate for the Brentwood project was presented at the meeting.

Next steps: the committee will present the recommendation to the Select Board for notice of award; if the Select Board approves, staff will negotiate scope and fee with Turner and then notify the other firms. The committee asked that Turner begin needs confirmation and concept development over the summer so that the town can do education and outreach in the fall and be prepared for a town meeting discussion in the following March.

The committee also asked the consultant to confirm previously collected square-footage and program needs, revisit an earlier Westin and Sampson report used for floor‑plan suggestions, and provide renovation-cost scenarios that make clear what upgrades would trigger major code work (and higher costs).