Manuel Branco worked for the Department of Public Works for 33 years before joining the board and committing another 12 years to the department.

So it was a no-brainer for the department to name its newest facility after Branco. A ceremony was held on June 8 at the Russells Mills facility, with Branco cutting the ribbon for the $5 million project.

"It's something that I never imagined, that this building would have my name on it," said Branco. "The old facility was terrible."

During a small ceremony, Selectman Stanley Mickelson presented Branco with a citation from board, thanking him for his work.

"I can't think of a person better than Manny A. Branco to have his name engraved into the heart of DPW," continued DPW Director Dave Hickox, who had worked with Branco for 25 years, 13 of which were as his assistant.

"Manny's fingerprints are on everything. He essentially developed the town's municipal water system," added Hickox.

The 16,000 square foot building is part of the department's efforts to centralize its field operations. Funding was secured between October 2013 and June 2015, but the building's design allowed the town to actualize significant savings, said Hickox.

Due to the modular building concept, the department was able to sidestep sub-bids for every trade, including electric and plumbing, said Hickox. Plans were developed in-house, by the department's engineering division, and one contractor was hired, Cape Building Systems out of Mattapoisett, said Hickox.

"Our goal for this facility was not a fancy facility like lots of DPWs build, but a functional facility," he said. The new building is equipped with heavy duty jacks and LED lighting.

It also includes office space for operations managers, a 32-seat training room, fitness room, lunch room, and showers, lockers, and bunks.

"For extreme emergencies, we have guys here round the clock," explained Hickox. "a lot of our staff sit eight hours in a truck all day long. Now, they can come in after work, put in half an hour [of exercise]," he added.

The overhaul also included demolishing the old salt shed and erecting a new 60-by-90 foot salt shed, building a 100-by-140 foot equipment cold storage facility (to cover vehicles in inclement weather), and two lean-to's for centralized tire and parts storage.

The department paid $40,000 for the salt shed frames, which were valued at $1.2 million, said Board of Public Works Chairman Brian Hawes.

"[This added to] tremendous savings for the town," said Hawes. "[Hickox] really managed this whole thing beautifully."

Additionally, rain water is now captured on the roof and used for the truck wash — "We're able to keep the fleet clean and the water bill down," said Hickox — and a generator keeps the department running in emergencies. The fuel tanks were also upgraded to a double-walled, monitored system.

Hickox said resurfacing and drainage were not completed due to the heavy rains, but that the project will be completely finished within the next three weeks.