Town breaks ground on new DPW facility

June 7, 2018 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

From left to right stand DPW Director Mario Maza, Town Manager Stephen Crane, state Sen. Eric Lesser, state Rep. Brian Ashe, DPW?Committee Chair Chris Cove, Select Board Chair Thomas Lachiusa, Select Board Vice Chair Mark Gold, Select Board member Richard Foster and Select Board member William Low. The group offered their appreciation to members of the DPW, who were in attendance, as well as shared their pleasure that the DPW project was coming to fruition.
Reminder Publications photo by Payton North.

LONGMEADOW –  Local officials and members of the Longmeadow Highway Department gathered at 170 Dwight Rd. on June 1 to celebrate the groundbreaking of what will be the site of the new Department of Public Works (DPW) facility.

Prior to the groundbreaking, Town Manager Stephen Crane, Select Board members Thomas Lachiusa and Richard Foster, DPW Committee Chair Chris Cove, DPW Mario Mazza, state Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Brian Ashe all offered remarks, speaking to their pleasure that the DPW will have a new facility to utilize.

Foster explained that the implementation of a new DPW building has been in the works since 1988. He shared with the crowd that in 1980 the Select Board had began a study to replace the DPW complex. The study took eight years, and in 1988, the results were brought before the town’s legislative body. Upon which time, the vote was failed. Then, Foster said, the project went to sleep for 20 years. In 2016, the Select Board appointed a DPW committee to review the idea of building a new DPW facility.

“After one year of dedicated hard work out of all of those employees and citizens in our community, they recommended the exact site we’re standing on again,” Foster said. “June 1, 2018, here we are, 38 years after the original DPW structure was identified as needing replacement. We’re breaking ground for a new DPW complex, it is about time.”

The 42,250 square foot space will offer administrative offices, storage for the DPW vehicle fleet, a vehicle wash bay and lifts for repairs and maintenance. The new facility will achieve zero net energy building (ZNEB) status. According to a press release, the upgrades to the heating system, insulation and roof structure will achieve energy savings of 35 percent better than what is required by the building code.

“This level of savings will also enable the town to pursue significant rebates from the utility companies,” the release reads.

Lesser offered thanks to the Longmeadow DPW employees, most of which were in attendance at the groundbreaking.

“Quite frankly, we don’t say thank you to you enough. In fact, I think a lot of members of our community take you for granted. We take for granted the fact that sidewalks are clean and the roads are paved and everything looks good, and that we’re up in the morning on a snow day and we’re able to get out of our driveways and go to work and do everything we need to do. I just hope that you know that we do appreciate it,” he said.

Ashe echoed Lesser’s sentiment, stating, “As my good friend Senator Lesser alluded to, the great work that the men and women at the DPW do a lot of times goes unnoticed, but we notice it. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all the work you do and I’m so glad we’re here today to celebrate.”

In 2016 a DPW Committee was appointed by the Select Board to work with the community on the DPW through public meetings, site selection, the design process and discussion with residents to advance the DPW project.

“If you attended a meeting as a resident, you saw immediately Chris [Cove] meant business and he was taking this very seriously and it was that level of commitment and seriousness that resulted in a great project,” Crane said of Cove.

“The committee I got to work with, everyone who was on the committee was very professional, came to the meeting prepared, was easy to work with, we had our own points of view when everything started but everybody stayed professional and we were able to work through it,” Cove said.

On March 14, 2017, Longmeadow DPW plow truck driver Warren Cowles was clearing train tracks on a crossing at Birnie Rd. when he was struck by a train and passed away.  At the groundbreaking, Cowles’ family was in attendance, and officials offered the family their sentiments.

“We’ll never be able to bring Warren back, he died serving his community, serving his town, and he made it possible for all of us to go about our day without really giving a second thought, in a storm or a water main break or any of the other issues that our DPW puts themselves on the line for every single day,” Lesser said. “We won’t forget that, it needs to be more than just words, it needs to be reflected in our laws. We need parity for DPW workers that die on the job in their communities in the same way with police and fire and other first responders.”

Lesser continued to state that he along with Ashe are working in the State House for this, and that they will get the railroad crossing fixed.

Mazza explained that this is a new chapter for the DPW, and that he knows how hard the DPW employees work and that they are appreciated.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Cindy and Alex Cowles, they’re going to be a part of our new building,” Mazza said. “They’ve offered Warren’s helmet for a memorial in the building and as it gets developed we’re going to find a location for that.”

The group finished the groundbreaking ceremony with the traditional shovel-scoop, symbolizing the start of the new construction.

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