Peer review finds DPW building repair and smaller additions may be viable; costs and heating options remain key

Acton — A peer review of the Town of Acton’s proposed Department of Public Works facility found localized structural and envelope problems but stopped short of recommending demolition, with Arrow Street Architects outlining four possible paths — from limited renovation to new construction — and setting a timeline for cost estimates and a Select Board briefing.

Arrow Street’s principal Larry Smang told the DPW Building Committee on July 24 that the firm and its structural partner, RSE, began on-site work in July and have preliminary findings and costing tasks underway. "We were hired ... to evaluate the existing conditions and meet with the DPW staff to understand their needs," Smang said. He added the firm will return with more detailed pricing after its estimator completes a run of options.

The peer review was authorized after a town meeting vote that provided funding for follow-up study following a failed earlier ballot question on a full new building. Committee members said the town meeting and an unscientific poll ("300-some odd people" versus roughly "2,000-some odd people" who voted in the election, as one member described) showed two clear public positions: supporters who want a new DPW facility and opponents who worried the project was too costly.

Why it matters

The committee, the select board and finance committee framed the issue as both operational and fiscal: DPW staff described cramped vehicle storage, ventilation and separation problems between vehicle bays and occupied spaces, and public officials stressed the need for a package the town could sell politically. Arrow Street’s review is intended to produce data-driven options that the town can present at public meetings before any future vote.

What Arrow Street and RSE found

Arrow Street and RSE noted a number of localized but repairable conditions: displaced CMU (concrete masonry unit) blocks on the south facade where vehicles park, missing or damaged rain leaders and evidence of moisture penetration that has caused surface deterioration. Jennifer McLean, RSE structural engineer, said the problems include "a little leaking here, a crack there" that "seem like things that could be repaired and prevented in the future," while cautioning a preliminary lateral analysis is still needed.

The Weston & Sampson design team previously classified the facility as a risk category 4 — a designation for buildings the town expects to function during or after significant storms or emergencies. McLean explained the risk category affects design loads (snow, wind, seismic) and therefore construction requirements for new work.

Operational and health concerns

DPW staff — identified in the review as a priority source of information — told Arrow Street that their top priority is a "safe workplace," including separation between public and work areas and improved ventilation. Smang said staff described paint fumes and diesel exhaust moving from the vehicle bay into administrative areas. Committee members repeatedly highlighted vehicle-storage density and head height in maintenance bays as problems that impede safe and efficient mechanical work.

Options under study

Arrow Street presented four preliminary options: 1) further value-engineer the prior new-build scheme; 2) renovate the existing building; 3) renovate the north portion and add a right-sized attached fleet-storage addition; and 4) renovate the existing occupied spaces and build a separate, simpler fleet-storage building adjacent on-site. The firm said option 4 (separate new fleet building plus renovation) appears politically and logistically appealing because it can be simpler to construct and to phase, though the committee debated whether phasing would succeed politically.

Costs, tariffs and heating systems

Committee members said cost remains the central obstacle: an earlier proposal failed in a town-wide vote. Arrow Street said national and international steel price changes and tariffs are raising construction costs; the firm offered a rough sensitivity estimate of a 4–6% upward pressure on overall building cost because steel affects many items, not just structural framing.

Heating and decarbonization choices surfaced as a major tradeoff. Committee members noted the town’s "fossil-free" bylaw that favors electric systems; Arrow Street said geothermal has higher upfront costs with a long payback but can become more favorable when federal incentives are included. The firm cautioned that if the project does not undertake construction by 2027, some of the federal incentives being factored into geothermal payback calculations may no longer be available.

Next steps and public schedule

Arrow Street said its cost estimator is pricing the options and the firm will review results with the town manager in early August. The firm is scheduled to present pricing and options at the Select Board meeting on August 25 and to deliver a draft report thereafter. The DPW Building Committee tentatively agreed to meet in early September to review the draft.

Formal actions at the July 24 meeting

The committee approved minutes from its February 12 and April 2 meetings by voice vote. No other formal motions or votes were recorded on July 24.

What remains unresolved

Key information remains outstanding, committee members said: a verified list of DPW staff and a breakdown of the fleet (winter-only equipment versus year-round vehicles), definitive structural drawings to confirm whether CMU cores are reinforced, head-height measurements for maintenance bays and phasing strategies tied to realistic political timelines. Committee members also differed on whether a multi-phase approach would pass future votes.

Who said what (selected quotes)

"We were hired ... to evaluate the existing conditions and meet with the DPW staff to understand their needs," Larry Smang, Arrow Street. "There's a lot of health and safety welfare issues," Smang reporting DPW staff concerns about ventilation and fumes. "I don't think anything is saying that this building is not resilient enough to get you through, you know, the winter or a few more winters," Jennifer McLean, structural engineer, RSE, on the existing facility's immediate risk.

Looking ahead

Arrow Street's next deliverable is priced options and a draft report, with a town-manager briefing in early August and a Select Board presentation scheduled for Aug. 25. Committee members said the town will need clear, public-facing choices and cost scenarios to test political feasibility before advancing toward a ballot or special town meeting.