On October 20, Holliston held its Annual Fall Town Meeting in the Holliston High School Auditorium where voters overwhelmingly approved the proposed Arch Street location for Holliston’s new Department of Public Works Site.

Leading up to the October 20th meeting, social media lit up with debate over the topic. Many residents questioned why the Select Board would recommend a location that they had previously ruled out.

Select Board Chair Ben Sparell acknowledged this in his comments prior to the vote: “A few years ago I said Cross Street was the location. And now I’m here talking to you about Arch Street.”

“Cross Street has been in land court for an eternity, and it seems like it is going to be another eternity.” He went on to explain that Cross Street is no longer a reliable option for the town, even if it was released from land court tomorrow. When Holliston was considering Cross Street, the town had assurances from the Environmental Protection Agency at the time to clean up Cross Street. Unfortunately, those assurances are no longer guaranteed.

Cross Street was one of the three recommended sites from the consulting group Weston & Sampson. The other two sites were located at Lowland Street and Norfolk Street, but they each had their own set of drawbacks including financial constraints and environmental concerns. After three public forums, the Select Board considered residents’ concerns, as well as expert input, to make the Arch Street recommendation, which was Weston & Sampson’s most viable option outside of their recommended sites.

According to Mr. Sparell, the Arch Street location is ideal because it is close to downtown and school complexes while also keeping cost in mind. Since the town currently owns the site, there are no acquisition costs, and the town can keep the other properties on the tax rolls. Most importantly, it takes residents’ environmental concerns into consideration.

Jamie Ring, a resident who attended public forums over the past several months, thanked the Select Board for their tireless efforts. “They have heard the people about protecting the aquaphor and about reducing costs… It is clear that you have been listening to us. I trust that through the process you will keep the engineers in check and our wallets in mind. So, thank you.”

Now that the Town has approved the Arch Street location, work can begin on the design and engineering of a new DPW facility at its current Arch Street location, although there is still much work to be done. Mr. Sparell reminded voters that the current cost estimates are just estimates. The site will need to be designed and bidded out in order to get closer to the correct costs.

For more information, visit www.townofholliston.us/town-projects and click the “DPW Location and Project Study” on the left.