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Select Board awards $63,000 DPW facility study to Weston & Sampson; director warns of 12-staff shortfall
Summary
The Select Board waived lowest-bid requirements and authorized a $63,000 contract with Weston & Sampson for a DPW facility study; DPW Director Jen Hale said the department is short 12 full-time employees and may need outside help for services such as trash collection.
Director of Public Works Jen Hale told the Select Board the warrant article approving a DPW facility study passed at town meeting and the town solicited proposals, receiving nine responses. She recommended Weston & Sampson for their operations-based approach and coastal resilience experience and asked the board to waive the lowest-bid requirement to authorize a $63,000 contract; the board granted the waiver and the Town Manager was authorized to execute the contract.
"We posted the RFP and sent it to ten vendors, receiving nine strong proposals... We are asking respectfully that the Select Board issue a waiver in accordance with §718-18 and to authorize the Town Manager to execute a contract with Weston & Sampson which includes their scope of work, in the amount of $63,000 for the completion of the DPW facility study," Dir. Hale said.
Hale also warned of a serious staffing shortage: "Hiring is not going well. The department is short 12 full-time employees. Daily work must be prioritized, using all staff and rotating them in different jobs; literally making decisions day by day." She said the severity of the shortage may require augmenting trash collection services with outside assistance. The board discussed possible downtown parking changes and a potential roundabout at Five Corners as separate operational priorities.
