SOUTHWICK – The Town of Southwick is looking to have a feasibility study conducted on all town buildings and a tour of all municipal facilities will take place on Wednesday, September 12.
Some buildings need emergency repairs while others may need new roofs or other modifications or upgrades, things that haven’t been addressed in twenty years or more, and town officials believe now is the time to begin looking at facility needs.
Southwick Town Hall. (WNG File Photo)
“Roofs only last so long, air conditioning units only last so long,” said Select Board Vice-Chairman Russ Fox. “You have to constantly be aware of that.”
A number of other infrastructure issues will be looked at including parking and driveway conditions, windows, gutters, emergency power generators, electrical conditions, lighting, septic conditions, and others.
The tour on Wednesday will feature town officials and any prospective contractors that want to make a proposal to construct the feasibility study for the town. The buildings that will be a part of the study are the town hall, the fire department, the police department, the department of public works, and the town library.
The PVPC (Pioneer Valley Planning Commission) is consulting with the town of Southwick for this study and have developed an RFQ (Request for Quote). An RFQ is different than an RFP (Request for Proposal) and a better option for the town of Southwick.
“It allows us to review who we think will be the best,” said Town of Southwick Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart. “You’re not stuck with the lowest bidder.”
Once a consultant is hired to perform the feasibility study, town officials will develop a plan and schedule moving forward. Stinehart doesn’t anticipate the study, the actual repairs, or work on the buildings to be complete in the near future.
“It’s going to be a plan that’s going to be going on for several years,” said Stinehart.
Stinehart said that the discussion of having a feasibility study done for the town was formalized during the budget-hearing process last February.
