By Nate Leskovic
Times Staff
8/7/08

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DPW Director Walter Heller says the less than 1,000 square-foot office won’t be much of a burden on the town.
“I can’t see the costs being much at all,” he says. “We’re going to have to pay a couple hundred dollars a month to heat it.”
When Gilbane started using the building it repainted and made renovations, according to Heller, including new carpeting and a new heating system.
“It is the nicest building we have in the DPW yard,” he says.
Selectmen Chair Kathy Fagan says the move could actually be a cost savings.
“Before we would have to have DPW people driving back and forth every day, all day,” she says. “I would expect that if you look at all the energy, fuel and time, that we’re still coming out ahead…Even if it costs slightly more I would be in favor of doing it.”
One of the reasons for the move was to increase efficiency in the department by bringing all the employees together, says Fagan. She says it streamlines the process, especially after two office workers were laid off earlier in the summer.
The newly-occupied building is being used to run operations and schedule work crews, according to Heller.
The other office building, which the public visits for business, contains the engineering department.
Meanwhile, Selectman John Shields says he is concerned about the plans and surveys that moved along with the DPW offices. He would like to see them back at town hall, secure in the safe.
No plans have been made yet for the newly-vacant offices in town hall, according to Town Administrator Kevin Mearn. Currently, the space is being used for storage of the town records while they are being reorganized. The records are usually stored in the basement.
Besides the office shuffling, the DPW has changed its hours to 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.