New Public Works Facility, Rochester, NH
In 2014, the City of Rochester ranked as the fifth largest city in New Hampshire, yet its public works operations facility was among the state’s oldest. From that small, outdated physical plant, the Public Works Department faced challenges in meeting its responsibilities as a first responder and maintaining city-wide streets, infrastructure, and parks. With community of nearly 140% since it was originally constructed in the 1950s, the old Public Works Facility was functionally obsolete, undersized, inefficient, and posed safety and environmental challenges.
When the city determined that a replacement facility was needed at that time, they hired Weston & Sampson through a qualifications-based selection process to assess program needs and design a new facility to accommodate modernized operations and fleet. Weston & Sampson served as the city’s consultant for an initial feasibility study and subsequent site selection, planning, public outreach, design, and construction oversight for a new state-of-the-art Public Works Facility. The highly functional design of the new facility allows the Department to perform its critical duties for the community reliably and effectively while contributing towards a healthy, safe, efficient, and rewarding work experience for its employees.