HADLEY — Concerns about the possible impact to property taxes for homeowners of even a smaller Department of Public Works headquarters is giving town officials pause about bringing the full project to voters at annual Town Meeting on May 1.

The Select Board, in a joint meeting with the DPW Building Committee last week, began contemplating whether to phase in the $19.65 million project at 230-232 Middle St. rather than doing it all at once. Members also discussed putting the project off entirely for the time being.

Should the Select Board decide to put the full project on the Town Meeting warrant, the Proposition 2½ debt-exclusion borrowing would have to be approved by voters that evening, and then at a ballot vote at town election on May 20.

But there are concerns that constructing the building all at once might be too heavy a lift.

Plans developed by Helene-Karl Architects of Groton call for a one-story, 23,247-square-foot building with a dedicated wash bay, two mechanical bays with lifts and storage for much of the fleet, and an attached office building with bathrooms, locker rooms and a conference room.

Select Board member Randy Izer, who has been on the building committee, said members tried to reduce the DPW project as much as possible for both machinery and office space. “We should not be the ones to decide this, the townspeople should,” Izer said.

“If we’re going to do it, we should do the whole thing,” said Select Board member Jane Nevinsmith, who said doing it piecemeal doesn’t make sense.

Select Board member David J. Fill II said he appreciates the reductions, but they may not be enough to get the project the needed support, and Select Board Chairwoman Molly Keegan wondered if there is a sensible way to spread the project out over time.

Jim Maksimoski, who chairs the building committee, said that the impacts are a $1.49 per $1,000 valuation property tax increase for a 20-year loan and a $1.25 per $1,000 valuation property tax increase for a 30-year loan, with the current $5,279 annual tax bill rising from $567 to $676 for a typical home, assessed at $453,936. “Those are pricey, you absolutely can’t get away from it,” Maksimoski said.

The Select Board could make a decision on how to approach the project on Wednesday, following another DPW Building Committee meeting with possible recommendations and information from the architect about whether the project can be divided into phases.

While the town could delay the project and allow the employees to continue working from the existing building, there are risks of various violations, and possible fines, including from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other regulatory agencies.

Izer said phasing the project could be twice as costly, and he worries that Hadley could be mandated to spend millions to get into compliance and then wouldn’t have a choice about the approach. “That is my big concern,” Izer said.

Andy Klepacki, who serves on the town’s Finance Committee and building committee, said the design is as tight as can be and townspeople need to see what it looks like in its entirety to make an informed decision, rather than being shown an a la carte option.

“This is kicking it down the road again,” Klepacki said, adding that residents are owed being shown the full scope of the project.

“I don’t think we should scale down the presentation and cut off the entire guts of it,” Klepacki said.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.