DPW Feasibility Study

Municipal Services provides resources to a population of approximately 30,000 residents, is responsible for maintaining among other things over 185 miles of roads, 35 miles of sidewalk, 18 municipal bridges, 5,000 catch basins, 150 miles of water main, 80 miles of sewer main, 1,600 sewer manholes, 15 town buildings, 3 dams, and a water treatment. The Department's average annual Capital Improvements Plan budget is roughly $10M and its annual operations and maintenance budget is roughly $15M. The TOWN's existing DPW is situated on a 5.8-acre parcel which includes three structures and the Town fueling facility. The fueling island and tanks were replaced in 2014 and are in excellent condition. The main administration building is 14,630 square feet and houses the administration and work force of Public Works moreover the location for the office of the Municipal Services Director, for a total of 22 employees. The sections that maintain and operate the public infrastructure and work out of the current facility include, Streets and Fleet and Vehicle Maintenance. Parks and Properties work out of the Pine Grove Cemetery Building and Solid Waste occupies space at the Transfer Station.

The DPW building was a garage for the highway agent constructed at some point in the early 1960's (Building 1) with a much larger addition (Building 2) constructed and attached in the 1970's to house more equipment. The final addition (Building 3 and 4) was built in the late 1980's when Public Works became an official Town department. Building 4 houses administration, break room, locker room, and bathrooms. The buildings are masonry block construction with wood and steel truss supports for the roof systems. There have been several interior adjustments and/or remodels made over time particularly in the office areas. There is a small locker room and nominal break room all of which is shared by administration and labor forces. There is a singular separate women's restroom with one toilet whereas the men's restroom has two urinals and one toilet. The facilities are inadequate notwithstanding winter operations which more than doubles normal occupancy of the building. Fleet maintenance occupies the largest square footage space of the building but is limited in its functionality as large CDL rated vehicles cannot be put on lifts for repairs due to ceiling height restrictions. The only lifts in the fleet area are two Mohawk 12,000 lb, 3-stage lifts. The back portion of the building is similar in square footage to the fleet area and is used for storing large vehicles particularly during the winter. This area was used to wash out vehicles previously however the Town was directed by NHDES to cease and desist as the uncontained outfall led to Policy Brook.

Municipal Services is comprised of three divisions including Public Works, Engineering, and Utilities. Weston and Sampson was selected through the Request for Qualifications, or RFQ 2021-007, to provide a Facility Study and Master Plan for a proposed Salem Municipal Services Facility. As part of their scope they will assess the existing DPW Facility located at 21 Cross Street to help develop a Master Plan to convert the site to a new consolidated Municipal Services Facility, which will incorporate the Engineering and Utilities departments into the existing DPW site. The Engineering Division currently operates out of Town Hall which in and of itself is limited on staffing space. All of the Utilities Division operates out of the Canobie Lake Water Treatment Plant which is also limited on space particularly equipment and material storage. The Master Plan will help identify the best location and configuration of existing and proposed Municipal Service functions, including but not limited to vehicle washing, vehicle maintenance, vehicle storage, administrative needs, materials handling, stormwater and wastewater management. The study will take into account the existing buildings/infrastructure currently on site and will make the best use of these existing components to help minimize costs.