Acton Select Board and Finance Committee Split Over $29.8M DPW Replacement Plan

Acton voters will decide soon whether to authorize a debt-excluded borrowing for a replacement Department of Public Works facility after a public-comment period at a Finance Committee meeting highlighted divergent recommendations from town leaders.

Alyssa Nickel, a member of the Acton Select Board and a School Street resident, told the Finance Committee that the Select Board unanimously recommends the project while “the finance committee unanimously does not recommend.” She said the project previously won voter support for design funding and that “it is absolutely necessary to replace a 55 year old building that does not meet current codes and regulations, and this is the right facility to meet the town's needs.”

Why it matters: the committee heard competing claims about fiscal prudence and public-safety and operational needs. Finance Committee members raised concerns about project timing, scope and exposure to cost escalation and tariffs. Select Board members and the DPW building committee argued delaying the project could raise costs through construction escalation and leave staff in unsafe or noncompliant space.

Select Board vice chair and chair of the DPW Building Committee Dean Charter said the project remains several months from bid opening and that the town will have updated, more refined pricing before any contract is signed. “We are projecting that the project design will be further advanced over the summer and a new estimate will be developed in August based on more refined plans and specifications,” Charter said. He described a November bid opening as the “real answer” point when the town will know whether authorized borrowing will cover bids and said, “Once the bid is accepted and the bond finalized, the risk is absorbed by the contractor and the town will be protected from price escalations.”

Several speakers outlined the project’s history and cost estimates. Nickel said town meeting voters approved $1,225,000 for design funding in 2023 by 77% and that the design has been value-engineered, including a roughly 5,000-square-foot reduction and other cost reductions “to reduce the cost by about $9,000,000.” Charter said the 40% design estimate included $4,800,000 for prefabricated steel and cited a $29,790,000 new construction estimate; he warned that construction-cost escalation of roughly 5% per year could push a $38,000,000 project toward $40,000,000 if delayed 18 months.

Not all public commenters supported immediate approval. One resident questioned large municipal projects in towns with smaller commercial tax bases and urged a more incremental or phased approach, saying, “I never imagined how much it was gonna cost.”

What happens next: the Finance Committee meeting was part of the pre–Town Meeting review process. Committee members debated but did not bind voters; the ballot and Town Meeting vote will determine whether the borrowing authorization moves forward. The town projects a new design estimate in August and a fall bid process that will give a firm price for contract decisions.