Edifice wrecks: Town juggles options for aging public buildings
Some Acton public buildings are in rough shape. The town’s Land Use Working Group is stepping up talks about what to do.
When winter’s chill arrives, schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter says, it’s “always a cross our fingers and hope for the best” situation with the 60-plus-year-old boilers at the Ripley Administrative Building.
New carpets in the building look fresh, but Acton-Carlisle School Committee Chair Tracey Marano says such cosmetic fixes are “like putting lipstick on a pig.”
Ripley, according to Hunter, is “at end of life.”
Other Acton public buildings are in similarly rough shape. After a summer of touring them, the town’s Land Use Working Group is stepping up talks about what to do.
Working group co-Chair Sven Weber said the panel has gathered copious information to help decide how newly available properties could benefit departments in failing headquarters. Now, he said, it’s time to step back and avoid jumping to conclusions.
The cost of any renovations also looms large.
“There are these theoretical, wonderful solutions we could wish for,” he told The Acton Bridge this week, “but can we pay for it?”
Public works issues
The Working Group convened in July and began touring parcels such as the 2229 Main Street Superfund site, the MCI-Acton prison, and the Peabody School.
Panelists also visited aging buildings such as Ripley and Acton’s public works and public safety campuses. Three subcommittees are considering the public works site, the public safety parcel, and consolidating municipal offices scattered across 18 properties.
At the Keyes Road public works site, salt bursts from massive cracks in the town shed.
Crews clean trucks a few feet from a designated wetland off the Sudbury River. The runoff flows into the wetland.
Workers have break areas in garage bays. Several staffers work in repurposed closets.
Lights in one room flashed erratically as Public Works Director Alan Cathcart led the working group around last month. “You’re not having a stroke,” he assured guests. “I’m not sure what’s going on with that.”
The open public works campus is also a security problem. Cathcart recalled a spate of catalytic converter thefts throughout the region a few years ago.
“We weren’t spared from that,” he said.
A space crunch
At the Walden Street police and fire complex, police comfort K9 Thor can stretch out on multiple dog beds, but his human colleagues are short on space.
Officers write reports in the break room. Seven sergeants share the same small office across shifts. There’s not enough parking — nor much heat in the female and juvenile holding cell.
On a relatively mild September day, temperatures were toasty in a hallway but frigid in nearby offices. A records room doubles as a cleaning supply closet.
Weber said he was most surprised by the cramped West Acton fire station.
Call volumes are already spiking on that side of town. With more development on the way, he said, a fire fix is “probably the biggest bone to chew on” for the working group.
Major changes possible
Acton’s government, including the school district’s administrative and preschool arm, could be in for a massive shuffle.
The Land Use Working Group has until July 2026 to develop recommendations — although its assignment allows for extensions. From there, the Select Board will consider how to proceed.
Weber questioned possible early conclusions. For municipal use, he asked, “Is Peabody the golden goose?” Or should the town sell or rent the building?
If the Walden Street public safety complex is overcrowded, could the town relocate the police but keep the fire department in place?
There’s broad agreement that the current municipal sprawl is inefficient. Suggestions still vary, with Working Group member Mark Martines saying the town should consider renting office space as part of a solution.
Weber said the answer will require compromise.
Back at Ripley, the building’s old boilers labor in a tangle of rusted pipes and asbestos insulation.
There are also smaller-scale problems, like a battle with crafty birds that have evaded nets to nest along a covered outdoor walkway between preschool classrooms.
“It’s the silly stuff, sometimes, that gets you,” Hunter said.
While they wait for a long-term decision on their building’s fate, the superintendent said her staff is getting by.
“We’re still making great memories,” she said.
