2017 Annual Town Meeting
Executive Summary 1 of 5:
DPW Facility Project
One of the most significant topics at the Annual Town Meeting is the consideration of using
eminent domain to acquire a preferred site for the construction of the new Department of Public
Works facility. The siting and design of a new facility has been evaluated, reevaluated, and
evaluated yet again many times.
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From the 1986 Annual Town Report: “In 1980, the Board of Selectmen realized the
woeful condition of the buildings in the Town Yard and appointed a committee to study
costs of new buildings plus alternate sites from the current Pondside Road on in [sic] the
‘Meadows’, which is in the flood plain. When the Town’s budgets became severely
pinched due to Proposition 2 1/2, the committee work was put ‘on hold’. This year, with
some of the same people on its committee plus two new members, activity has begun
again. Alternate sites are being explored and we are currently in the process of doing test
borings at Pondside Road to determine the possibility of re-building there. We hope to
have the necessary information available for a recommendation at our Annual Town
Meeting in May, 1987.”
At a Special Town Meeting in September 1987, $26,000 was appropriated to obtain a
preliminary design of a new Town Yard.
From the 1988 Annual Town Report: “The $3,000,000 proposal for a new Town Yard
was approved by voters at the annual town meeting, but was subsequently defeated in an
override question in September.”
In 2008, a Town Manager’s Task Force evaluated alternative sites and recommended
Grande Meadows Tennis Club.
In 2016, the Select Board appointed a DPW Committee to evaluate sites. After a yearlong exploration of many different sites, the Committee also recommended Grande
Meadows Tennis Club.
The following articles will advance this needed project through site acquisition and construction
funding.
ARTICLE 9, which would authorize the acquisition by eminent domain of the Grande Meadows
Tennis Club to be the site of the DPW facility. As noted above, the site was recommended by
the most recent DPW Committee comprised of resident volunteers. The report of the
Committee, which was accepted by Town Meeting in October 2016, details the exhaustive
analysis conducted by the group with the support of the engineering firm retained by the Town,
Weston and Sampson. After reviewing all parcels within the town to find potential sites that
were large enough for a new DPW facility, the Committee spent most of the summer of 2016
reviewing 29 sites in extreme detail. At the end of that arduous process, the Committee
recommended Grande Meadows to the Select Board.
The fair market value of the parcel, $2.6 million, was determined by two independent real estate
appraisals as allowed under Mass General Laws. Under the law, a property can be taken for a
public use by eminent domain for “just compensation” that, as a practical matter, means fair
market value. The best way to determine fair market value when an agreement cannot be
reached is to use one or more appraisers. As noted above, the town has engaged two appraisers
to determine the fair market value of the subject property. The owner of record at the time the
order of taking is recorded at the Registry of Deeds will be issued the payment. The taking is
final but the owner can pursue litigation to dispute the fair market value at the time of the
taking. The Town is taking every precaution to ensure that the process protects the Town’s longterm interests and is fair to the property owner.
The fair market value of the parcel, $2.6 million, was determined by two independent real estate
appraisals pursuant to Mass General Laws. Under the law, a property can be taken for a public
use by eminent domain for fair market value. The owner of record at the time the order of taking
is recorded at the Registry of Deeds will be issued the payment. The taking is final but the
owner can pursue litigation to dispute the fair market value at the time of the taking. The Town
is taking every precaution to ensure that the process protects the Town’s long-term interests and
is fair to the property owner.
If approved by a two-thirds vote required at Town Meeting, the taking of the site would not
occur until a debt exclusion vote is approved at the June Town Elections. The article is
recommended by the Finance Committee.
ARTICLE 10, which would raise and appropriate the sum of $21,205,000 to acquire the site and
to construct and equip a new Department of Public Works Facility. The project cost breakdown
is as follows:
Site Acquisition
Building (42,250SF)
Canopy (7,000SF)
Salt Shed
Industrial Support Equipment (fueling, wash, some maintenance
equipment)
Site Development & Support Structures
 DEP mandated stormwater system
 Site clearing, excavation, gravel borrow
 Electrical, site lighting, paving, curbing, fencing, gates, etc.
 Material storage bins
 Existing Pondside Road Demo
$2,600,000
$9,363,000
$580,000
$350,000
$1,292,000
Mezzanine Systems
Subtotal Construction Cost ($351/sq. ft. w/o Pondside Demo)
Soft Costs (A&E fees, permitting/testing, printing costs,
furnishings, communications)
Construction Contingencies
Total Project Cost:
$366,000
$15,516,000
$2,202,000
$3,565,000
$887,000
$21,205,000
The project, if approved by a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting and by voters in the Town
Election, will be funded through a combination of property taxes and utility charges. Attached is
a summary of the impact of the project on both property taxes and utility charges. This article is
recommended by the Finance Committee.