Canton Selectmen Continue to Explore Purchase of Commerce Drive Property for Public Works Facility

Wednesday night the Board of Selectmen moved one step closer toward asking townspeople to support the purchase of 325 Commerce Drive for future use as a Public Works Garage.

No formal action was taken but selectmen asked Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner to prepare some documents for the board’s next meeting to potentially go forward with a plan to purchase the land.

The funds would come from the town’s unallocated reserves and Board of Finance and voter approval would first be needed. Typically such a proposal would go to town meeting if approved by the finance board but Skinner said it could also be a question of the November ballot. The town's current option to purchase the property for $225,000 expires in January of 2014. 

In May, voters by a tally of 814 to 454 defeated a proposal to bond up to $5.4 million for a Public Works facility at that location to replace the town's aging structure near the Farmington River in Collinsville. 

Wednesday night four residents questioned why the board would move forward with purchasing location.

Larry Litton said he was “puzzled,” since the public had sent a clear message that they didn’t want a $5.4 million project or a garage at that location. 

“As a voter I find that insulting,” he said. “I would like to know why you huts think you’re smarter than the voters and why you’re going to continue to purse something we said no to.”

Speakers also mentioned the possibility that the town would spend the money but never build there.

John Kelly referenced the site development costs. Documentation given by the town at a pre-referendum meeting put site work at approximately $1 million.

“The big issue was grading the property,” he said.  

In recent meetings both selectmen and members of the town’s Permanent Municipal Building Committee have stated they feel the property is the best option. Members of both, however, have acknowledged the need to better explain why other properties the PMBC has looked at were not chosen.  

Later in the meeting Wednesday, First Selectman Richard Barlow said he could not say exactly how much of a factor was but made it clear he felt price was more of the issue.

“The feeling of the PMBC is the overwhelming concern people have is with the price,” he said, adding that he has heard much of the same. “There needs to be a way to come up with a project that is of a lesser cost.”

To that end officials reiterated the other action the town has discussed — getting a firm to review the work done so far by the firm Weston and Sampson.

"Essentially it’s around getting a second set of eyes,” Skinner said.

The other idea is to get bids before the project goes back to voters. That would presumably go to design, build firms who take a “bridging document” with the town’s basic requirements and come up with a design that they would then build.  

Skinner said his one reservation of putting it out before approval was that some companies may be reluctant to go through that intensive project when they have no guarantee the project would be approved.

While it would give a more precise number to bring to voters, Skinner said his concern was that it could actually result in the town not getting the lowest price.

“You might essentially chill some of the bids,” he said.