Construction on a project that combines the Middleton, Mass., Town Hall with a new community center and public safety building will finally get under way this March after the town's residents had to increase the project budget by an estimated $10 million.
As a result of COVID-19, supply chain issues, and higher labor and materials costs, such as lumber and steel — all of which have all risen sharply since the plan was first laid out by the town several years ago — the estimated $74.6 million cost was determined to be just over $9.9 million short of fully funding the project, according to town officials.
The Salem News reported that Middleton residents voted 127-35 to allocate the additional money at a special town meeting on Oct. 18.
"While the costs have increased significantly, the building committee has made it a priority to not just go back to their fellow residents and say, ‘Hey, we need more money,'" explained Town Administrator Justin Sultzbach. "They wanted to make sure they did everything they could to tighten up the scope of the project and reduce its footprint, specifically by [removing] around 10,000 sq. ft."
He also told the Salem News that the committee wanted to make certain it was not reducing the size of the project so much that it would be an outdated building by the time employees moved into it.
"And I think they did an excellent job of striking that balance," he said.
Town Wants Complex That Will Last for Decades
Middleton's Municipal Building Project has been in the works since the town bought the property at 105 South Main St. from the Middleton Golf Course in 2019.
Sultzbach noted that Middleton, located north of Boston, is currently in the middle of a problem that many towns are enduring where over time and through population growth, they have outgrown their current municipal spaces.
To combat that, Middleton's plan includes two new buildings, one to serve as a combined Town Hall and community center, and the other a combined fire and police station, both of which town administrators have projected will serve the town for the next 30 to 50 years.
Another component of the project is the creation of a new, centrally located "town green" that would provide an open space for Middleton residents and visitors to enjoy wildlife, activities, festivals and recreational opportunities, Salem News reported.
The green space will need to be preserved in perpetuity as part of the original sale of the property by the golf course, so that when the project is completed, part of the site will be maintained as conservation land for walking paths and hiking trails.
The decision to combine the municipal buildings, each of which were determined to need either replacement or renovation following a 2017 study, was decided as the option with the greatest operational and financial benefits to the town, according to Sultzbach.
"The existing golf course site dictated in part how the layouts of the buildings would look and how they would be combined," he said. "But just from a cost-efficiency standpoint, having a single public safety facility for police and fire, and then a community center for the Town Hall, the Council on Aging, and other space, absolutely makes sense from an efficiency standpoint for a community of our size, and in how it will help rein in construction costs."
Middleton Aims to Lessen Burden to Its Taxpayers
Following the recent Town Meeting vote, Middleton plans to continue aggressively pursuing grants so as to not exceed the initial projected costs for taxpayers.
"So, for every grant that we land, or every additional revenue source that we're able to identify, we're going to reduce the amount that we're ultimately going to have to borrow," Sultzbach said in speaking to Salem News. "It's our goal to make an effort to [avoid borrowing] that full $9.95 million and really do anything we can to help defray costs because it's a tight time to build municipal buildings, but also a tight time for families throughout the commonwealth."
The final construction documents for the project are scheduled to be completed by December, with construction beginning late next winter.
Sultzbach calls the Middleton municipal building projects a "transformative project for this community, and a huge investment that the people of this town are making in their future.
"And I think in a time with so much economic uncertainty, I'm just really impressed and appreciative that the people in Middleton came out and voted in favor of this. I think it really shows that their heads and hearts are in the right place, and they're dedicated to the future."
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