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Date: 2/22/2022
WILLIAMSBURG – The new Public Safety Complex that will be built at the location of the now-defunct Helen E. James School building is still on schedule for completion in July 2023.
According to William Sayre, the vice-chair of the Public Safety Complex Building Committee, the committee was getting “very close” to putting out the full bid package and they hope to complete that bidding process this February.
After the bidding process, the demolition of the Helen E. James School will begin, and the construction process would start right after, sometime in the spring. “We’ve organized it so they’ll roughly come in at the same time,” said Sayre, referring to the demolition and construction process. “The Public Safety Complex Building Committee will make recommendations, the Board of Selectmen will review them, and then make a decision on who they should award the contracts too.”
The town of Williamsburg approved funding for the new Public Safety Complex early in the spring of 2021. The $5.1 million project follows years of study from the town, and a study from the Owner’s Project Manager Steering Committee found that demolishing the Helen E. James School would be cheaper than incorporating it within the complex. Presently, public safety services in Williamsburg operate out of two facilities – 5 N. Main St. in Williamsburg and 16 S. Main St. in Haydenville.
According to Sayre, the committee is also looking to set aside about four pallets of brick from the existing school building to be used for construction of a small park at the corner of Main Street and South Street. This is not a part of the public safety project, but it is something the town wants to embark on afterward.
Additionally, there is a large Norway maple tree next to the school building on the east side that the town plans to take down to use the lumber from the tree as mementos for the town’s upcoming 250th celebration, according to Sayre.
“The last graduating high school class had their picture taken with the class either underneath the tree or in the tree,” said Sayre, referring to the tree’s importance. “So that tree has that added importance.”
As for the public safety building itself, Sayre said the Energy Committee has been a big help throughout the process and recommended more insulation in the walls and ceiling so the building can be more energy efficient. They also recommended fewer glass panels in the garage doors, as well as lower overall building height. The Public Safety Complex Committee incorporated all these changes, according to Sayre, and the Energy Committee is also working on a plan to add solar panels to the roof of the new building.
“We will be putting in an underground conduit to the outside for a charging station,” said Sayre. “And they’ve also made suggestion for specifications for a blower door test during construction to make sure the building is as tight as we can make it.”
Outside of the Energy Committee, the Public Safety Complex Building Committee have also gone in front of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Conservation Commission for help with recommendations, and those boards will continue to have a say in future plans.
The next step for the committee, according to Sayre, is to figure out if their current plan will stay within the town’s budget, which is something of an added concern at the moment.
“We have a very good team working hard on this project,” said Sayre. “By team, I mean the Public Safety Complex Building Committee, the Owner’s Project Manager and our landscape designer.”
The architect working on the project is Kevin Chrobak of Juster Pope Frazier out of Northampton. Additionally, Robert Todisco of P3 Project Planning Professionals is helping with the project, as well as Jeff Squire of Berkshire Design.
For more information on the project, along with updates and newsletters, people can visit the Williamsburg website at https://www.burgy.org/public-safety-complex-building-committee-pscbc.