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| Heat fix could cost $6 million | Friday, December 2, 2005 |
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| David McLaughlin 508-626-4338 | Metrowest Daily News |
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FRAMINGHAM -- Overhauling the Memorial Building's ailing heating system could
cost up to $6 million, according to a new engineering study, prompting
selectmen to consider a full renovation of the building.
The board will set up a committee to examine the heating troubles and look into other work in the 80-year-old Memorial Building. With so much work involved in repairing the heat, selectmen said it may be time to think about a larger project. "When something breaks, we throw money at it," Selectman Dennis Giombetti said yesterday. "We should really look at the overall building and come up with a plan for the building." The town just completed a $75,000 emergency fix of the heating system after it failed, but the repairs are temporary. The new engineering study from DMC Engineering offers three options for installing an HVAC system at a cost of between $5 million and $5.9 million. "Based on our findings, the existing systems are in poor condition, extremely inefficient, and although improvements have been made recently, they remain in imminent danger of failing," the study states. Selectman John Stasik called the study "very interesting, very informing and very depressing." "I see this as a crisis. I don't see this as something we can do at a leisurely pace," he said. Under each option, the work would be so extensive that it would trigger a requirement to make the building accessible for the disabled. That work would cost $1.3 million, according to the study. Installing a fire protection system would require another $740,000. Town Manager George King said a full renovation aimed at creating a modern office building could cost between $15 million and $25 million. He called the heating and ventilation system the most serious problem. "If you're going to tear it apart, anything else you might do in the next 20 years you might as well do now," he said. Besides the three most expensive options, the engineering firm also offered a fourth, less costly option that does not trigger the accessibility requirements. That work, according to the study would cost about $800,000. While it would build a functioning heating system, it would not address air conditioning or ventilation. Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint a study committee that will recommend one of the options and what other work around the building should be considered. They did not appoint any members to the committee. |
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