ROCKPORT — After two years of construction and more in planning, the town will celebrate and officially open its new Department of Public Works facility at 2 DPW Way this Saturday with a ribbon cutting.
The public is invited and tours will be offered after the ceremony.
The $17 million project was a long time in the making, Select Board Chair Paul Murphy said.
“This new state-of-the-art facility represents more than just bricks, steel and concrete,” he said. “It represents an investment in the future of Rockport. We now have a facility that is safe for all employees to work in and the efficiency of the DPW will be increased.”
Expected at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony are Select Board members, Public Works representatives and other town and state officials. Murphy said state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have been invited to attend the ribbon cutting.
“This is an exciting moment in the history of our town,” Murphy said. “This new facility is designed to give the men and women the tools, the space and the resources they need to continue doing the essential work at the highest level. It’s a place that will support their efforts, increase their efficiency and keep both staff and equipment safe for many years to come.”
Although Murphy said he knows the building was expensive, he understands the need for two different Proposition 2 1/2 overrides for the project.
“Had it gone through the first vote, it would have been less expensive,” he said. “Construction costs over the last five years have increased significantly, like most things today.”
Bruce Reed, chair of the DPW Facility Building Committee, has been associated with the project since 2016 when Town Meeting in April approved spending $8.8 million for the project. But because a budget override was required, the matter was put before Rockport voters who defeated the spending that May. Eventually voters approves spending to build the new facility.
“It’s just going to allow the DPW to be much more efficient,” he said. “The old barn couldn’t fit all of the trucks.”
Some in town have commented on the size of the facility.
“It looks enormous from the road, but once you’re inside, it’s not so big,” Reed said.
He said the main facility, which totals almost 30,000 square feet, has space for about 35 workers, an administration area, locker rooms, a computer data area, workshops, maintenance bays, bathrooms and a muster room.
“This is where we’ll head out in the mornings,” Public Works project manager Stephen Buonopane said.
The new barn has a bay dedicated to vehicle maintenance and repairs. The mechanics there will service other town vehicles, including Police and Fire Department equipment, Reed said.
“Just getting the vehicles out on the road will be quicker,” he said. “We’ll basically be maintaining all of the town’s vehicles, which will be money saved for the town. For the town, this is huge.”
Equipment for the building’s wash bay will be installed sometime in November.
“Having a wash bay will allow us to extend the life of vehicles,” Reed said. “We could be getting two or three years of additional life for the vehicles.”
Another feature of the facility is a new salt shed which sits adjacent to the main building.
Plenty of thought went into the project, DPW Assistant Director Aaron Cilluffo said.
“It’s a major step forward for the town,” he said. “It’s been a long process for the town to get where they are now.”
Stephen Hagan may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or shagan@gloucestertimes.com.