$7 million for a maintenance shed?
That question was asked several times, at last night’s Board of Finance meeting.
Perhaps that’s a bit much, was the eventual answer.
The discussion — the centerpiece of the BOF meeting at Town Hall — followed a request by Department of Public Works director Peter Ratkiewich for $222,000 for an architectural study, schematic design, land use permitting, and preparation of an opinion of probable cost for a new Parks & Recreation Department facility at Longshore.
The building would replace the current maintenance shed there. Located between the golf course’s 18th hole and the tennis courts, it dates back to at least the 1960s.
The new facility would be built where brush waste is currently piled, near where Old Cuttings Lane meets the exit road (close to the 12th hole green).
Approximately 35,000 square feet, it would include room to store equipment and vehicles, plus meeting rooms and locker rooms for employees.
The current shed is big enough only for meetings. It is “old, dilapidated and outdated,” Ratkiewich said.
The current Longshore maintenance shed.
If the new location is approved, it would free up space for 2 new paddleball courts. It would be the first step in the long-proposed renovation of Longshore.
In his presentation, Ratkiewich noted that the maintenance shed is not for golf course equipment and employees, but for all other town properties maintained by Parks & Rec — including nearby Compo Beach.
There is no other viable place besides Longshore to put the new facility, Ratkiewich said, due to its size.
Board of Finance member Danielle Dobin outlined 3 objections. The first was cost. “We should be shopping at a Ford dealership, not a Ferrari,” she said.
The second was that “this is not a great tradeoff for just 2 more paddleboard courts.”
The third was that the Planning & Zoning Commission — which she chaired, before her election to the Finance board — has not yet been asked for a positive 8-24 (land use) report.
“It doesn’t pass the common sense test,” Dobin said. “The juice is just not worth the squeeze.”
She and Ratkiewich engaged in a discussion about the “chicken and egg” sequence: Which should come first, the funding request or the 8-24 one?
The rectangle shows the approximate site of the proposed new maintenance facility.
Parks & Recreation Commission chair Dave Floyd advocated for moving the shed from its current “prime space” location to the new site. It would be more out of the way, he said, and would enable trucks and other vehicles to access it more easily than the current route, which circles through the golf course and past the Inn at Longshore.
BOF member Liz Heyer noted that Ratkiewich had called the $7 million figure a “placeholder,” meaning the final figure could be lower. “We can say we want only a $4 million figure,” she said.
Ultimately, no vote was taken.
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker’s administration will reach out to the P&Z, to solicit feedback at a future public meeting before returning to the Board of Finance. There will be time too for residents to weigh in with written comments.
Ratkiewich will lead a field trip for BOF members to the existing shed, and the proposed site, on January 24. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Ratkiewich said that the Finance board’s message about the $7 million was heard, loudly and clearly.
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I can’t even believe Westport would consider a second-class option for a facility that will serve the community for maybe the next 100 years.
7 million for a utility building is absolutely absurd. But, I guess a bargain compared to the $800,000 for 3 toilets at compo. But, let’s be real. It is a utility building. You can get steel buildings that last 100 years that are already preengineered and designed for a mere fraction of the cost. Also, thsts great that they want to use the current location of where they store materials and brush. Where will that all go? It’s not like the town has an over abundance of open space for this. Do we really want to move an already existing facility to pave it for two pickle ball courts that might not even be popular in a few years? Where is the brush going to go? Why is a simple building so much money? Why can we not have a nice club house to make the people that are paying to fund such a thing happy for once? The current “shed” that is a so called club house is way way way past it’s prime, if it ever was “prime”
Get the priorities straight and spend the money wisely. I’m tired of the overspending because “it’s Westport”.
Will the new shed have a gift shop?
I don’t think Westport is considering a “second class” option, but a more economical and practical alternative to fix the same issue. 35,000 sq ft is a very large building. Maybe there isn’t a more cost effective solution, but we should definitely be able to consider all options.
Maybe some pre-fab building manufacturers would like to submit a proposal and skip the consultants?
The current shed is under 3,500 square feet and has been sufficient for decades. Suddenly a 35,000 10X shed is needed? How about rehabilitating and expanding the current structure? There is no question that this could be done at a fraction of the cost of 7MM or 4MM. In fact it could likely be done for under 1MM. I understand we are a rich town and want the best of everything and thats OK…But being wasteful is unacceptable.
Rich, do you think the town will employ undocumented workers for the construction of the new shed?
No, nor should they. I’m not sure why you would ask me this.
Unbelievable that anyone would consider spending 7 million or 4 million for such a building. A prefab steel bldg would serve the purpose. And putting pickleball courts where proposed is a definite NO Have you ever heard how much noise the ball makes ! Tennis players have rights and they should not have to bear this obnoxious play. Put them down in the lower parking lot of the golf course.
The new shed should be located in the dirt lot by Dimes marina. Plenty of space there and easy entry from South Compo.
It is a hefty price tag…but I am wondering if it’s because the building will be located in a wetland/ low elevation area, which would require FEMA’s inflated high costs and all the prep work necessary to drive piles and footings to support the slab foundation.
The problem we faced at Maintanence when I worked there, was the building is too small to house any expensive equipment inside. Everything sat or was stored outside, expediting the useful life age and breaking equipment down quicker.
The department fleet has grown in vehicles and equipment, and must be stored inside.
There was an option over a decade ago, to move the facilities HQ to Canal Park garages. It’s already existing, slightly dated, BUT could serve possibly.
I am weary of the proposed location because of wetland/elevations. Last I read it was at 13 feet.
Current building is the original first tee, it has ventilation issues, no proper or fair way to separate or store flammables, heavily outdated, no insulation, every year there’s a raccoon or wasps nest that develops, one tiny office and an extremely small commune room for the employees.
This proposal is LONG overdue and requires some tweaking, yes, but we must find ways to store our equipment inside for service and from cold and inclement weather.
Andrew,
I’m sure there is justification for an improved maintenance shed. Insulation, and a bigger room and office, but I’m sorry vehicles do not need to be stored inside. Not at all.
And to spend 7 m to do so is absurd.
If the new proposed location is in wetlands and requires piles to be driven into the ground in order to buildin that spot, at enormous expense then the location needs to be changed.
It makes no sense.
The existing building while inadequate does not need to be demolished to build the Taj Mahal.
Expensive hand equipment certainly should be stored inside.
Vehicles absolutely not and not at Westport tax payers expense.
Many of us do not have/use garages for our vehicles. No reason parks n rec needs their vehicles stored inside.
There is also no reason for any heating in the building with the exception of a small office and a break room. I presume 2 toilets is sufficient.
The build out for 2 bathrooms, office and rec room is about 100k.
The build for 5,000 sq foot shed is $25-125 per square foot.
That’s about $500k plus $100k for office etc..
that is a huge amount of additional space. Coming in at $600k total.
Maybe you put some shelving in there. We are talking a max of 100k for shelving. Call it $700 k and that’s on the high side.
The drawing for this should be no more than $10-20 k. Where $220 thousand dollars for drawing a shed plan is coming from is mind boggling.
It’s preposterous. Actually it reeks.
The unheated equipment storage space which is the majority, needs no windows,only insulation, and, good fluorescent lighting.
Thank god the board of finance or some of them were as horrified as I am by this insanity.
It’s bad enough that the town squandered $800k on bathrooms at the beach which should have cost a maximum of 300k. At this point contractors must just see “town of Westport “ and throw on an extra “0”.
We do not live in Dubai, we live in Westport where the tax payer has to pay for all this profligate spending.
We have a school to build.
Go Daniel Dobin!
NOTE: Demolishing the current shed would provide space for 2 new paddleball courts, not pickleball. That was my mistake. There are 2 more pickleball courts planned, but the location has not yet been determined.
Why do we always have to pay a fortune for “studies”? We have had some doozies in the past. A round-about in front of the VFW (no space), and raising the height of Railroad Place even with the train tracks, leaving all the road’s businesses in a ditch are 2 of my favorites.
That used to be the old pro shop . . . but they have an equipment storage facility behind the 14th green (next door to the 300K hot dog stand) which should facilitate the current equipment. I once complained to the former 1st Selectman that all the equipment in front of the building was an eye sore. The next day, he had all the mowers etc moved into the marina parking lot. 100 million for a new school, why not 7 million for a storage bin? Lord, out of control.
Must be writer’s block this week in the Major/Miller household. Lotta comments this week.
Hang in, Captain Healey is on his way! 💪
I hope Liz Heyer was being facetious with the $4m number.
That shed should not/does not need to house a single vehicle.
It needs to be no bigger than 5,000 sq feet and in fact I’d think 4,000 sq feet would suffice.
That price tag is well under 1 million.
Have the administration completely lost their mind?
As for sandtec or whoever it is asking for 220,000 for a study/costing/drawing, I suggest 22,000 more appropriate.
Drop a zero off both numbers..
7mil to 700k and 220k down to 22k
And 35,000 sq feet down to 4/5,000
Vehicles appropriately outside like half of the residents of Westport who do not use a garage.