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| By Michelle Kealey Staff Writer AGAWAM After 35 years, the dream of a new Department of Public Works facility has become a reality for the city of Agawam. Mayor Richard Cohen, city officials, DPW employees, Massachusetts Emergency Management Association (MEMA) representatives and PDS Engineering and Construction, Inc. celebrated the beginning of the construction/renovations to the new DPW facility during a groundbreaking ceremony last Wednesday. "This is an exciting day for Agawam," said Cohen, adding that the project has been long overdue. "It is something that the DPW employees deserve and [have] also wanted for such a long time." Cohen said that his administration, the DPW and the City Council have been working diligently on the project for the past 5.5 years. He added that a new DPW facility was a big issue when he first ran for office six years ago. The new DPW facility will be located at the former Spartan Saw building, 100 Suffield Street. The 66,000 square foot building will house the DPW, the city's Engineering and Building Department as well as MEMA. The city purchased the building in 2003 with the intention to use it as the DPW facility. Cohen said that the city purchased the building and about 40 acres of land behind the building for $1.6 million. He added that the city has been working to sell the land behind the building to a developer for about $220,000, who has plans to create a small industrial park. Cohen explained that the renovations to the new DPW facility, which will be completed by PDS Engineering and Construction of Bloomfield, Conn., will cost $2.3 million. When Cohen first began to look at sites to house the DPW, he said he looked at land on Tennis Road, Garden Street and other locations throughout the city. According to Cohen, the land alone would have cost the city $2.3 million and the total project to build new would cost $7 or $8 million. Cohen said that the Spartan Saw building came up for sale and he looked into it as an option. He said that it is sufficient space for the DPW and the land behind it has potential to be an additional revenue source for the city. Construction on the facility began on Monday and is slated to be completed by Dec. 12. Cohen said that he is not sure when the move will take place and is beginning to work on the logistics of that now. He added that he is concentrating on the "construction and getting that done" because the DPW facility has been a 35 year problem that the city is "trying to correct as quickly as possible." Cohen said that the most important aspect of the project is to create a safer environment for the DPW employees. Jack Stone, superintendent of the Agawam DPW, said he is "elated" that the construction on the new DPW facility has begun. He said that he has been with the Agawam DPW for 38 years, 35 of which he has spent operating out of a temporary facility on Main Street. He added that the DPW was located behind City Hall before it moved to the location on Main Street. He said the move to Suffield Street will be a "big upgrade." Currently, much of the DPW equipment is stored outdoors because there is not sufficient space at the DPW facility on Main Street. Stone said that the new facility includes enough storage space for the vehicles and equipment and will also include a wash basin and garages. Stone added that he is looking forward to having all of the departments operate out of the same location. He said the DPW, including their Engineering and Building Departments has 54 employees, of whom 40 currently work out of the Main Street DPW. In addition to creating a new facility for the DPW, Cohen is looking forward to the new relationship that the city will have with MEMA. "Agawam is fortunate to be able to have them right in our city and DPW facility," he said. Regions three and four of MEMA, which cover western and central Massachusetts, will operate out of the new DPW building. Kevin Beauregard, administration and finance branch chief for MEMA, said that the Suffield Street facility is a great location because it is close to the highway and has great potential for operations and as a training site. MEMA currently operates out of Belchertown and will move into 7,000 square feet of space in the new DPW building once it is complete. |