NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city is considering a $1.5 million investment in purchasing a former anodizing plant to house all of its public service departments and equipment. 

 

The City Council on Tuesday will be presented with a request from the mayor to enter into a purchase-and-sales agreement for the former Aluminum Anodizing on Hodges Cross Road.

 

The administration has been seeking an alternative to the current dated location on Ashland Street. Mayor Richard Alcombright has frequently stated a desire to move the Highway Department away from a college-dominated area that has seen significant improvements in recent years, both in public and private investments.

 

In his letter to the council, Alcombright said the city has been in negotiations for six months with owner Berkshire Anodizing LLC after it was the only entity to respond to a request for proposals for a suitable structure earlier this year. 

 

The 30-acre property includes about an 85,000-square-foot facility that Alcombright has said would comfortably fit all of the city's public services equipment. 

 

"As you all know, our DPW, Cemetery, Salt Shed and Parks & Recreation facilities are old, worn and in need of significant repair and replacement," Alcombright wrote. "I along with DPW Commissioner [Timothy] Lescarbeau and Administrative Officer [Michael] Canales have been analyzing the physical needs of all Public Services departments and believe we have a very good solution that will bring ALL Public Services, Building Department, and Wire & Alarm Services under one roof."

 

The mayor said the building is in "very good condition" and has the capacity to house all the city's salt and sand inside. Taking over the plant would eliminate the need for a number of buildings housing public service deparĵtments and storage. 

 

According to an estimate by Tighe & Bond engineers, an option to tear down part of the old City Yard and build an 11,200 square-foot structure would cost about $2.7 million. A review of the other buildings found repairs totaling $185,000 for replacing rotten sills, water damage and buckling walls. Most of the Public Service Department's equipment is stored outside because there is no room for it.

 

The City Yard is the oldest of the structures, with the main building dating to 1884; the youngest was constructed in the 1970s. The Public Services Committee toured the buildings to get a sense of the needs five years ago.

 

"The City Yard is an old converted pump station that served the city for 131 years. The roof leaks and several supports are rotted. The brick walls are crumbling and have in at times. There only one rest room that is in deplorable condition. There is no insulation in any of the buildings, and windows leak. The mechanics shop bays are not deep enough for some of the equipment to be serviced, so maintenance is deferred until warmer weather allows it to be worked on in the big garage outside," the mayor wrote. 

 

The the purchase price is $995,000; another $107,700 would be needed for general repairs and replacement windows. 

 

Some $377,000 would be needed for creating separate work spaces, installing equipment, landscaping, exterior work and other needs. The total includes an $18,850 as a 5 percent contingency.

 

Property also includes a 20-year lease agreement with a solar company that had been negotiated by the current owner. The mayor has also suggested that the back part of the property outside the 100-year floodplain could allow expansion of Southview Cemetery. An environmental review is currently being reviewed by Tighe & Bond.

 

 Alcombright is requesting the council refer the matter to the Public Services and Finance committees for review; he anticipates setting up a tour of the building and bringing in a request for a borrowing order on Sept. 6, contingent on the environmental review.

 

The anodizing plant ceased operations last year, putting about 35 people out of work. Aluminum Anodizing had moved to the location in the 1990s; after struggling for some years, it was purchased by Berkshire Anodizing, which later leased the building to Colonial Anodizing.