Acton officials review smaller DPW building plan, estimate under $38 million and flag tariff risk

David Martin presented updated plans for a proposed Department of Public Works building and described scope reductions made to lower cost and square footage.

Martin said the design previously described at about 47,000 square feet was reduced to roughly 43,000 square feet and then cut further by about 8% in the most recent building‑committee meeting. He said the garage will store the majority of rolling stock — “capacity to store 49 of our 56 vehicles” — and noted the wash bay was removed in the latest reductions. The design team, Weston & Sampson, reconfigured offices, workshop space and the mezzanine storage to shrink net area while preserving core functions.

Martin told the committee the project’s total cost is being finalized but is “probably under $38,000,000” and that an estimate of about $37.6 million has been discussed publicly. The town’s construction‑cost consultant firms are completing reconciled cost estimates; those figures are expected in a week or two. Town staff and committee members emphasized the estimate is preliminary and that contingencies remain a meaningful variable.

Members pressed Martin and other staff on options to reduce scope further or stage construction. Ideas discussed included deferring some office build‑outs to a later phase, moving some non‑winter equipment to covered (but not heated) storage, and digitizing archived paper plans to reduce storage needs. Committee members also discussed whether some supervisory staff require private offices or could work from cubicles and shared conference rooms; Martin said those choices reduce space but do not materially change the project’s overall cost in his view.

Several members and staff raised a new risk: potential federal tariffs on steel and other materials that had been scheduled to take effect March 12. Committee members cited industry analysis showing prior U.S. steel tariffs raised steel prices and caused project delays; they said tariff outcomes could affect the town’s final estimates or schedule. One committee member noted that if bids at construction time exceed the appropriation, the town would pause the project rather than automatically fund higher bids.

On funding and fiscal impact, Martin provided a draft annual debt‑service figure of roughly $2.6 million for total project borrowing at assumed rates, which the committee contrasted with a preliminary per‑household estimate the town provided: about $337 per single‑family home per year and $197 per condominium per year, based on the debt service figure. Committee members asked staff to double‑check these debt‑service assumptions and to confirm whether and how any revenue‑funded positions (for example, a fire‑prevention officer funded from a revolving account) alter the operating impact.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the project. Members agreed to continue reviewing updated cost estimates and contingencies and to discuss the DPW article with the Select Board at the board’s scheduled meeting. The committee noted April 15 as the deadline for warrant printing and said the Select Board meeting on Friday evening would be the next public opportunity to review the project before warrant text is finalized.