Whately Building Committee Moves to Draft RFP for New Highway Garage

WHATELY -- May 21, 2026, Whately's Municipal Building Committee voted unanimously to approve its April 16 minutes and set a course toward issuing a request for proposals for a new highway garage at its May 21 session. The committee formed a two-person subcommittee, including a member identified as JD, to draft the RFP in coordination with Town Administrator Bill Hildreth's office, with a goal of presenting a design plan to the Finance Committee in March 2027 and to Town Meeting the following spring. Members identified three professional disciplines required, site engineer, structural engineer, and architect, and discussed a pre-engineered steel kit building of roughly 7,500 square feet, with recent comparable costs ranging from $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot for the shell alone. A state law threshold requiring an owner's project manager for projects above $1.5 million drew extended discussion, with one member noting that combining the garage and a planned police station relocation into a single bond would almost certainly clear that figure. The committee also confirmed that a proposed transfer station relocation across the street has been ruled out after the area was identified as USDA-designated prime farmland. The panel set a site visit for May 28 and its next regular meeting for June 18 at 4 p.m.