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Select Board previews $7M highway garage plan, schedules public Q&A and Special Town Meeting article
Summary
Select Board members described a proposed $7 million town highway garage, said the project will be placed before voters at a Special Town Meeting on Dec. 1, and scheduled pre-meeting public Q&A sessions to explain procurement and benefits to town equipment and staff.
Sheffield Select Board members discussed a proposed new town highway garage on Oct. 20, describing an estimated cost of about $7 million and plans to present funding at a Special Town Meeting on Dec. 1.
Board members said the current temporary facility constrains equipment maintenance and storage and that a new enclosed garage would protect equipment and support retention of highway personnel. The board emphasized procurement rules and state bidding processes that limit design and cost flexibility and said they had reduced an earlier estimate substantially through iterative design work.
Officials said they will host an earlier question-and-answer session before November select board meetings for residents to review project plans and ask questions prior to the Dec. 1 vote. No appropriation vote was taken at the Oct. 20 meeting; the board presented the project as a funding article to be voted at the Special Town Meeting.
The Select Board said the project aims to improve safety and equipment longevity, but members also acknowledged sticker shock at the price and noted the municipal procurement process drives some of the cost differences compared with private construction.
