Relief in sight for Amherst’s aging DPW ‘Barn’

AMHERST — Inside the main vehicle bay at the Department of Public Works building, often simply referred to as the “Barn,” a puddle on the concrete floor that developed from a recent rainstorm has nearly dried up, even as the underside of the roof in a nearby storage area remains soggy — with tiles were removed long ago.

In the office building attached to the garage where trolleys were once stored, a makeshift device catches water dripping through the ceiling near the second-floor landing. This permanent solution channels the leaks via a hose to a shower drain in the first-floor women’s bathroom.

Over at the maintenance shop, the garage doors are wide open as vehicles are repaired during a sunny summer afternoon. In the winter months, however, workers must choose between keeping the space open to the elements, letting in cold air to the unheated area, or dealing with vehicle exhaust.

All of these lingering problems may be nearing an end, though, as the DPW Building Committee works with design firm Weston & Sampson to move forward on both temporary accommodations and a new permanent building. The consultants are zeroing in on both the current 586 South Pleasant St. site, where the DPW has been located since the 1940s, and the town-owned Ruxton gravel pit, at 531 Pulpit Hill Road.

The Town Council has suggested that all employees vacate the main building — described by workers as dilapidated and functionally obsolete — by Oct. 1. But that deadline may not be realistic.

Still, after more than a decade of discussions, progress is being made on a new DPW building, a project that could cost $35 million.

This week, representatives from Weston & Sampson — including lead architect and project manager J.P. Parnas and co-architect and project manager Jennifer Kady — told the DPW Building Committee that schematic designs for a temporary building should be ready by mid-November, with a full package of designs with cost estimates by early December.

Parnas said the work will include reviewing the DPW program through interviews with staff; a preliminary geotechnical investigation, with one day of drilling at both sites in early September; and an environmental review of wetlands at both sites, including testing boring samples for contamination.

“In addition, we’re also having one of our civil engineers take a look at permitting and other constraints on both sites,” Parnas said.

Understanding the permitting constraints should help with site selection by the end of September.

If a temporary building is set up on the current site, there are questions about whether there’s sufficient space. Already, much of the grounds is occupied: the DPW’s fleet of 92 vehicles and other equipment is parked around the building, and a salt shed and another storage building taking additional space near the parking lots.

But operating from elsewhere may bring its own challenges, especially if workers are at scattered sites around town.

The 1916 trolley barn — with the tracks still visible below where trucks now park — is at the heart of the operation. An attached metal building added five double-wide bays, providing room for 10 trucks at a time, and the most recent expansion, a 2001 conference room and office, is attached to the two-story brick building.

A decade ago, a DPW Feasibility Study identified three preferred sites for a new building that would fit the entire fleet of vehicles.

A short time later, Amherst College offered land for a new building, but the town passed on that in 2019. In 2021, the town solicited properties for a new DPW, but found none suitable, including land in Hadley.

While the current headquarters remains operational, numerous repairs would be needed to modernize it and eliminate existing issues.

DPW Superintendent Guilford Mooring said many fixes would trigger the need to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning it makes more sense to build something entirely new.

What the DPW will get from the new permanent headquarters is unknown, though some discussions focus on whether some personnel would move to other sites, such as water treatment plant buildings, the trees and grounds building next to the War Memorial Pool on Mattoon Street, near the high school, the wastewater treatment plant and the transfer station.

There is also some question about whether maintenance and repair work could eventually be outsourced.

Even the newest part of the main site, the conference room, has water damage in one corner. Other office staff, such as the town engineer and recycling coordinator, and those working from the sign and paint shop, have more rustic conditions, with air conditioning provided by window-mounted units rather than a central HVAC system.

Six to seven vehicles usually fit into the main barn, including two dump trucks, a backhoe, a loader and the tree truck. The attached metal building, which has rusting garage doors needing repair, has double-wide doors for 10 vehicles, including the sweeper and vactor truck.

Some of what is stored inside changes during the winter months, when much of the work involves plowing and sanding.

While water infiltration is the most evident problem, the maintenance bay, where all fire, police, Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service and Amherst Recreation vehicles are inspected, is too small for all the work that happens, including repairs on DPW vehicles.

There is also a lack of an adequate system to remove exhaust from this space.

The water department, with water meter reading equipment and distribution oversight, is in another section added to the main building. Even there, water can be seen dripping above the doorway to the men’s locker room. Mold has been addressed in that area, but it isn’t handicapped accessible.

Because of its age, the building also shows signs of damage to the exterior masonry, with evident cracks and some repairs and repointing done over time.