Pembroke's New Public Safety Building $1.6 Million Over Budget

Unexpected Site Work Costs at Washington Street Location Strain Budget; Officials Seek Cost-Saving Measures

PEMBROKE, MA - May 22 - The new public safety building project in Pembroke is facing budget challenges, largely due to unexpected site work costs at the Washington Street location. The project is currently $1.6 million over budget, according to a presentation by Christy Murphy with the Vertex Companies, the owner's project manager for the project.

Murphy explained that the majority of the budget overage, about $7 million, is attributed to site work costs. When the budget was initially appropriated, the study included about a $2 million estimate for site work. However, after conducting due diligence on the Washington Street site, significant challenges were discovered.

The project team has been working diligently to find cost savings and efficiencies to bring the project back on track. "You have an incredible building committee," Murphy said. "The chiefs and deputy chiefs are so collaborative, creative, and have worked really well with us and the designers."

Through these efforts, the team has identified about $5.9 million in potential savings, including reductions in the size of the substation and public safety building, bidding the auxiliary building as an alternate, and finding savings in the furniture, fixtures, and equipment line item.

Despite these efforts, the project remains approximately $1.6 million over budget. The team is continuing to investigate opportunities for additional savings as they move forward with the design development phase.

One of the main challenges with the Washington Street site is the need to raise the grade by about 6 feet to accommodate a new septic system. This has necessitated the inclusion of retaining walls around the exterior of the site, adding to the overall cost.

Town Manager Bill Chenard assured residents that the programming for the building has not been affected by the budget challenges. "Every single thing that we said that the police and fire departments need is still there," Chenard said. "The training slash community room, yes, it's cut in size, but it still meets the FBI training requirements so that we can hold training and host trainings there."

Chenard also noted that the town has thoroughly investigated alternative sites for the project but has not found any suitable options that the town could purchase without further reducing the available budget.

As the project moves forward, the team will be conducting percolation tests on the Washington Street site to better understand the septic system requirements. They will also be investigating the general contractor bid pool to ensure that there are enough qualified bidders available to take on the project.

The public safety building project is a critical initiative for the town of Pembroke, aimed at improving response times and enhancing public safety for residents and businesses. Despite the current budget challenges, town officials and the project team remain committed to delivering a high-quality facility that meets the needs of the community.