VIDEO: Fire up the chainsaw! Grafton’s DPW opens with a roar

May 21, 2022 lordpaluzzi

A mere pair of comically oversized scissors and a ribbon just aren’t enough to celebrate the opening of a giant new Department of Public Works.

Especially when said building is two decades in the making.

So John Bechard donned a pair of goggles, fired up a chainsaw, and got down to the business of cutting apart a sawhorse, appropriately emblazoned in orange. Even at ceremonial events, it’s safety first.

“To say it’s been a long time coming, that’s not an exaggeration,” Berchard said.

Back in 2001, the town’s Master Plan identified the former Highway Barn on Upton Road as undersized. It wasn’t an exaggeration — the aging structure couldn’t fit all the equipment and was in need of repair. As a bonus, the fire department was also in need of a new facility and the highway barn’s central location was considered as ideal for the task.

Around this time, Berchard acquired a three-ring binder, which he began filling with studies, plans, and lists. He plopped the now-bulging binder on the sawhorse in front of the building before handing it off to Highway Superintendent Kevin Gallagher — a complete history of various locations and funding attempts that finally resulted in the large green building on Old Westboro Road.

“People would say, ‘don’t you guys just sign in, punch a clock, and go out and do DPW things?'” he recalled.

The $13.8 million building came in under budget despite multiple issues, which included the discovery of ledge on the property and delays created by the COVID-19 pandemic. An orange plow blade, used to clear the roads during the Blizzard of ’78, has been fashioned into its address marker.

GSX is creating a 136-unit apartment complex with retail space at 27 Upton Street, the site of the former DPW.

“This building represents my favorite building project,” Town Administrator Evan Brassard said, “The one that was finished before I got here.”

John Bechard plunks down the giant binder he’s carried during the decades of DPW planning.
The new DPW facility can hold all of the department’s equipment.
Children enjoy exploring the trucks in the new highway barn.
Children enjoy exploring the trucks in the new highway barn.
Town Administrator Evan Brassard.
State Sen. Michael Moore apologizes for his late showing, alongside state Rep. David Muradian.
Muradian and Moore present Highway Superintendent Kevin Gallagher with a proclaimation.
DPW staff pose at the grand opening.
Hoe big is this snowplow? A child offers a comparison.
The new DPW facility can hold all of the department’s equipment.
The new DPW facility can hold all of the department’s equipment.
New Select Board member Andy Jefferson joins fellow members Colleen Roy and Mat Often at the DPW opening. While three is a quorum, they did not discuss town matters (apart from the new building) during their brief time together.
The chainsaw revs!
The new highway department sign is made from a plow used in the Blizzard of ’79.