Old DPW Yard to be Demolished on Monday

Medford’s historic and mostly condemned Department of Public Works yard on James Street will be demolished on Monday morning.

The building, constructed in the 1930’s, suffered heavy damage in 2009 due to an intentionally set fire.

Artifacts from the old building are being preserved and will be used on the new building, including the municipal garage sign, a weathervane, and a concrete city seal.

The city is currently renting space for the DPW on Commercial Street. Further details on a design and cost for a new facility have yet to be determined.

Mike Nestor, head of the DPW’s Park Division and president of the city employees union, is optimistic about a new facility on James Street that will better serve the needs of both city employees and residents.

“The future is bright for the employees who will have a state of the art building to work in and out of,” said Nestor. “The city administration has been understanding of the needs of its employees and recognizes the need of a new building to ensure a comfortable working environment and for the DPW to have the tools to serve Medford residents. Hopefully the design process and appropriation of money goes through to ensure a quick and fair timetable to the union employees.”

– Information compiled by Allison Goldsberry. Photos by Ken Krause.