Firm Selected To Explore Town Campus Options

ORLEANS – Although 2040 may still be off in the distance, the town could get a sense of what could be built in the way of a municipal campus this spring.

Galante Architecture Studio of Cambridge has been selected to prepare design options for a campus on Eldredge Park Way that could accommodate a fire station, elementary school and community center with a pool. Assistant Town Manager Mark Reil told the select board Nov. 13 that the firm will submit its findings to the board by April 1.

Town Administrator Kim Newman first introduced her 2040 town campus plan earlier this year as a way of addressing a number of the town’s infrastructure needs. The fire station, which opened its doors in 1987, no longer meets the needs of a modern fire facility, while discussions have also been ongoing about whether to renovate Orleans Elementary School, the original portion of which dates back to 1956, or construct a new building. The need for a community center has also been discussed and explored in recent years.

But available town land to accommodate each facility is in short supply, and Orleans officials hope that land at 46 and 58 Eldredge Park Way, the respective sites of the current fire station and neighboring elementary school, can accommodate the new facilities in one project. 

A request for qualifications issued by the town in September drew six responses. A three-person panel consisting of Reil, Special Projects Coordinator Michael Solitro and Gail Briere, chair of the Orleans Elementary School committee, reviewed each response before recommending to move forward with Galante on Oct. 25.

In a letter to the select board, the panel cited Galante’s experience working on both “large scale, multipurpose projects” and other “master planning efforts.” The firm has worked on a fire station in Dennis and the New Bedford South Public Safety, and also helped a feasibility study committee in Orleans explore other sites for a new fire station.

“The firm, in their submission, exhibited a well-rounded capability of addressing our needs for a campus style property that includes a fire rescue station, an elementary school and a community/recreation center,” the letter read.

Reil said Galante will prepare between three and seven options for designing a campus. Those could include designs featuring a fire station and a combined elementary school and community center or ones featuring three standalone facilities. The firm’s report will also include “real cost estimates” for each option, he said.

“It puts us in a good place,” he said.

Solitro said review of previous studies conducted between 2021 and 2023 to look at options for each facility will also be conducted as part of the process. Those include feasibility studies looking at the viability of both a fire station and community center, as well as a capital asset assessment for the elementary school.

Galante will take a “phased construction approach” in preparing its design, Riel said, with the fire station being addressed in phase one.

The town appeared to be making headway toward siting a new fire station on elementary school land in 2023, but discussions stalled between the elementary school committee and the fire rescue station feasibility study committee. Briere said this time around, she was happy with the collaborative process that resulted in selecting a firm to explore the campus plan.

“The communication during this time period was timely and open,” she said. “Meetings were held at convenient times for all parties. Different perspectives were listened to and valued, resulting in clarified expectations.” 

Kevin Galligan of the select board said there should be avenues for public comment and feedback on the project as planning progresses. There should be “no surprises for anybody” as things unfold, he said.

“It won’t be silence until April 1,” Reil told the board. “There will be a lot of deliverables that we’ll see throughout the process.” 

Briere added that Galante will also reach out to the project’s direct  stakeholders, including the fire department and elementary school officials.

“I think they’re going to be looking to get a clearer idea of what people are looking for in addition to the assessments that they will have read,” she said.

Reil said an initial meeting with Galante is in the process of being scheduled.