Brentwood committee OKs $25,000 for municipal building design work; will present three options to voters

The Brentwood Municipal Complex Research Committee voted to add $25,000 to the multipurpose municipal building capital reserve fund to hire design professionals to develop concept plans and cost estimates for three building options ahead of a planned 2026 town meeting. The committee discussed site selection, procurement method and public outreach and set a follow‑up meeting for March 18 to finalize a request for qualifications (RFQ).

The additional $25,000 was presented as a warrant article to increase the capital reserve fund for “professional services related to the municipal building,” including conceptual plans, estimates and a design‑build preparation package. The committee voted to add the $25,000 to the reserve; committee members recorded two abstentions and no recorded opposing votes. The committee chair said the funds would be used to hire an architect or engineer to evaluate three options: a standalone police department, a standalone police department plus space for future municipal use, or a joint building housing both the police department and town offices.

“This is an additional $25,000 to go into the capital reserve fund for professional services related to the municipal building,” said Eric Kelly, Interim Committee Chair. Kelly described the scope the funds would cover as conceptual plans, cost estimates and support for preparing a design‑build package should the town approve funding for construction.

The group confirmed the preferred site for further study is the disturbed parcel adjacent to the pavilion at the recreation complex; committee members said test pits and initial layout work have been done at that location. Committee members emphasized they will present all three options to the townspeople rather than recommending a single approach. Justin Doty, Police Department representative, framed the police department’s priority: “I want whatever gets the officers downstairs into a new building,” and said a standalone facility might be appropriate if voters prefer not to fund a combined building.

The committee agreed to pursue a qualifications‑based RFQ to select a designer in the spring. Under the proposed procurement approach, the committee would rank firms by qualifications and then negotiate scope and price with the top‑ranked firm rather than select the lowest bidder. Committee members said the RFQ will include minimum and preferred evaluation criteria, such as past experience designing police or municipal facilities and the ability to address Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) security requirements.

Committee members also discussed what the design work must show: footprints, site plans, price per household/tax impact estimates, and advantages and drawbacks of each option. The goal is to have concept plans and cost ranges to present to voters at the 2026 town meeting so residents can vote among the three alternatives.

During public comment, resident Bruce Stevens urged transparency about costs and questioned why municipal construction would be priced far higher than residential construction. “We want somebody to describe to us … why we can’t build a building similar to what some of the neighboring towns have,” Stevens said, and asked the committee to present construction standards and cost drivers clearly to the public.

Action items from the meeting included: circulating January meeting minutes and the draft RFQ to committee members, finalizing the RFQ for discussion at the committee’s next meeting on Tuesday, March 18 at 1:30 p.m., and preparing public outreach and explanatory materials so voters understand what design work the $25,000 would fund. The committee also noted a commercial assessment of the existing town building was completed about two years ago and that selling the property could offset some future costs, though committee members cautioned sale proceeds would not fully fund a new facility.

The committee stressed the $25,000 will pay for conceptual design and pricing only; if voters approve one of the options in 2026, further design and construction funding would be required. The committee plans public information sessions and to include tax‑impact estimates with any warrant article presented to the townspeople.

Next meeting: Tuesday, March 18 at 1:30 p.m. at Town Hall, when the committee expects to review and refine the RFQ and evaluation criteria before issuing it in April.