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1. Since the entire Westview project is being re-bid, what is the estimated Construction cost-reduction by reducing the project by one full garage bay?

The Town last looked into this in the Spring, and the reduction was about $90,000.

2. Does that $90,000 include the savings from the financed debt? Or is this project now financed with cash?

The $90,000 would only be for construction, not including interest. We are proposing to fund the supplemental $770,000 appropriation for Westview from cash, not debt financing. The original $3.29 million appropriation would still be debt financed. The interest on $90,000 over 20 years at 4% would be $37,800. At 3% it would be $28,350. For the past two years, we've done much better on interest rates- typically between 1 and 2%, but we still model with a more conservative rate.

3. Has the Town considered a pre-engineered solution for the Westview Cemetery building to remain in budget as was done for the Old Res bathhouse?

Because of the size of the facility, a pre-engineered solution is not available. This facility is customized for the operations of the cemetery department. We have explored all possible ways to reduce the costs of this facility through value engineering options.

4. Will the DPW have enough storage between its main facility on Bedford Street and $4 million facility at Westview to accommodate its operational needs?

Full Question: With the future school and police station debt overrides, we appreciate all the efforts to look at working more efficiently with funding. If this additional $770,000 of funding for the DPW Westview facility is approved, will the DPW have enough storage between its main facility on Bedford Street and $4 million facility at Westview to accommodate its operational needs? Town Meeting has heard that the DPW must have storage at the Center track bathrooms area as well? Can the Facilities Team or DPW provide any assurances that they have minimal need of any additional storage or will be looking to minimize their storage needs so as to reduce future requests for funding storage needs?

Answer: DPW will be all set for storage. The Cemetery building will house the equipment and materials needed for cemetery maintenance. The storage requested at the Center Restroom building is for materials and equipment that are already stored there in the trailers and existing building, so it is just replacing and not adding to the storage. We do not anticipate any further storage needs.

5. Is the total cost of $5.5 million for the Westview Cemetery Building accurate?

Full Question: Based on the Appropriations Committee report, after all debt for this project is paid off the total cost of the Westview Cemetery Building would be $5.5 million once you account for the additional $1.5 million of debt service over the life of the debt. Is that accurate?

Answer: The total cost of the project including the study and design (actual cost) and projected construction ($3.29 million using a 4% interest rate and level payment over 20 years, plus the $770,000 in cash capital) would be approximately $5.9 million.

6. Does the Facilities Department now see that the Center Bathroom project can be done substantially cheaper as a result?

Full Question: While the DPW expressed its storage needs are met with this building, does the Facilities Department now see that the Center Bathroom project can be done substantially cheaper as a result? Is there a positive tradeoff to stress here for Town Meeting - that investment in Westview means we can save money on other project requirements such as the Center Track bathrooms where the DPW has a gathering/storage space?

Answer: We currently have storage at the Center building and trailer and we will continue to need that. The Cemetery building will fully house all that is needed for Cemetery operations and eliminate the need for a trailer there. We will not need additional storage beyond that.

7. Now that we are coming out of the pandemic, why not just re-bid the project again in January with the original budget when firms are more likely to bid the work within our budget?

Full Question: We have heard the Facilities Department suggest there are better times of year to bid these construction projects. Now that we are coming out of the pandemic, why not just re-bid the project again in January with the original budget when firms are more likely to bid the work within our budget? Is this additional funding to select a bidder or to hedge against higher bids as part of a new bidding process?

Answer: Staff suggest the best time to rebid this work is right at the start of the new year. Because this project was already out on the street, we believe there will be an expectation that the previous bid results will become the floor for the next round of bidding. Because the bid information is public we are planning on this new level plus an increase due to COVID-19. We are seeing an increase in construction costs and materials and are planning for that accordingly in the funding request.