Acton DPW building team trims scope, marks wash bay and geothermal as priorities ahead of March cost estimates

The Department of Public Works Building Committee on Feb. 12 reviewed changes to the design and cost estimate for a proposed Public Works facility in Acton and discussed next steps, including a March pricing submission and a March 28 estimate reconciliation.

John, a project presenter, told the committee the schematic-design baseline showed a construction cost of $37,946,168 and a total project cost of $46,960,456, and said the design team and town staff have identified about $4,000,000 in building-construction reductions and another $3,500,000 in items that could be offered as bid alternates. "The total project cost is $46,960,456," John said. He said the team had also identified roughly $735,000 of work that could be performed by town forces rather than the general contractor.

Those changes, the presenter said, amount to approximately an 8% reduction in the building’s square footage — roughly 3,800 square feet — achieved by narrowing the vehicle-storage bay by about 5 feet, tightening some office and corridor space and eliminating a corridor between shops and the vehicle maintenance area. "We've identified almost $4,000,000 of savings that we think can be made without causing operational concerns," John said.

Why it matters: The committee is preparing to send a pricing package to cost estimators on March 5 and expects two independent estimates back for reconciliation…