New Seekonk DPW Facility Will Cost $39M

The new building for the Department of Public Works is expected to be finished in 2026, according to members of the Building Committee.

The Committee presented an overview to the Seekonk Select Board on May 8.

The price tag for the project will be $39.4 million. The amount to be borrowed is $39.4 million at an interest rate of four percent annually over 30 years. The average single family tax bill impact would be $267 a year.

If the garage which is part of the building design is left out, the total amount which will be borrowed shrinks to $31.4 million. The average single family tax impact would be $213 a year. The DPW equipment savings by indoor storage is $9.7 million.

“The cost is a lot more than anyone thought it was going to be,” said Board member Michael Healy. “I think there should be some compromise on the garage area.”

“Obviously the price tag is going to be a sticker shock,” said Town Administrator Shawn Cadime. “The committee, along with the OPM and the architect has done an amazing job of really trying to get (the cost) as low as possible. Without the garage, I feel we are not really getting the project that we talked about.”

“It’s kind of silly to build a DPW facility without a garage,” said Chair Michelle Hines.

The proposed design is for a 61, 815 square-foot building. The garage will be 41, 850 square feet. The remaining space will be for maintenance and administration.

Brewster Thornton Architects came up with the designs for the facility. The complete building project timeline and architectural drawings can be viewed on the town web site – www.seekonk-ma.gov.

The project will go out to bid this September with a start date of January 2025. Construction will be completed in April 2026. A town meeting vote to approve funding will be held this November.

On June 7, 2021, the Town voted to appropriate the sum of $1,500,000, to pay for the costs of designing, planning, and engineering for the construction of a DPW facility on land owned by the Town of Seekonk at 351 Fall River Avenue.

The planning, design and oversight of expenditures will be under the direction of the Select Board.

The building committee was formed in August 2022. The members include John Pozzi, Edward Monigan, Michael Gagne, Kevin Hurst, and Hines.