GRAFTON – School maintenance building, parking lot, or both?
The Select Board discussed the possibilities for the old fire station at 3 Worcester St. during its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Situated close to the Town Common, the old station is currently being used by Grafton Public Schools to store and maintain its vehicles.
According to Frank Rothwell, director of operations for Grafton Public Schools (GPS), the station is used for repairs, welding and fabricating equipment.
The site does need some cleanup, including removal of old equipment and pruning overgrown vegetation.
“We need to make it look better,” said Rothwell.
Renovation vs. teardown
Rothwell presented cost estimates for renovating the site versus tearing down the building to create parking for downtown businesses.
The renovations would cost an estimated $95,000-$150,000. This would include replacing the garage doors for $25,600.
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“The doors don’t match, and they don’t work properly,” said Rothwell.
Replacing the roof drew estimates of $40,000-$95,000, depending on “what approach is used,” said Town Administrator Evan Brassard.
To replace 20 windows is estimated to cost $30,000.
Rothwell recommends a phased approach to renovations, with the garage door replacement in fiscal 2024, the roof replacement in fiscal 2026, and the windows in fiscal 2027.
Funding for the garage doors would come out of the school budget, while the other two projects could be included in the town’s capital plan.
Rothwell said that GPS plans to remove vegetation around the exterior, remove remaining vehicles, paint the exterior doors and paint parking lines during the spring and summer of 2024.
The costs to demolish and construct a new building would run $420,000-$500,000, according to Rothwell.
Building demolition alone would cost from $150,000-$200,000. Paving is estimated to cost $135,000 (asphalt) or $150,000 (concrete); items such as fencing or planting could cost $25,000; to construct a new building for storage (30-by-40 feet) could cost $110,000-$125,000.
The site could yield up to 23 parking spaces for nearby businesses, according to Rothwell.
What the Select Board had to say
Most board members would like to see additional parking, with or without the building.
“It would be great to have parking for local businesses,” said board member Mark Alimo.
Select Board member Andrew Jefferson said that while delineating parking spaces would be good, he’d like to see “what the School Department intends for the building.”
“More digging needs to be done,” he said.
“I would like to see Grafton embrace the building,” said board Chair Mathew Often. “It’s been there for decades and decades.”
Often added that he’d like to hold off on any major investment until the debt from the high school project begins to decrease in 2031.
