AMHERST — A designer is exploring three options for a temporary Department of Public Works headquarters: relocating to the Wildwood School site on Strong Street, moving to the Ruxton site on Pulpit Hill Road, or remaining at the current 586 South Pleasant St. building while a new $35 million facility is constructed there.

But even though Weston & Sampson of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, is beginning to work with the DPW Building Committee on a replacement building, Town Manager Paul Bockelman informed the Town Council Monday that he will not be able to reach the council-recommended target date of Oct. 1 to have all workers out of the current DPW building, a refurbished 1915 trolley barn that has been used by the department since the 1940s.

Bockelman said that even though he agrees with all the sentiments in the council’s order, which asked for a report back by June 29, the early fall deadline for full relocation may have to be changed to the end of 2026.

“We know we have to relocate our employees out of that current building because that building is going to be demolished, and there’s no reason to wait if we get a suitable site,” Bockelman said.

The order, adopted earlier this year, came after councilors got feedback from workers that District 2 Councilor Amber Cano-Martin noted “documented structural deficiencies, hazardous conditions and code violations” in the aging building, such as a dilapidated and leaky roof. Cano-Martin initially proposed having half the staff out of the current building by Aug. 1, with the remainder out by Oct. 1.

Even with that, the idea is not to relocate twice, though, and to not conflict with the operations of the department. Moving employees can be a big task, Bockelman said, based on recent experience with having a handful of Recreation Department employees go from the middle school to Wildwood School.

The DPW move would be a “complex undertaking” as one of the largest departments in town, he said.

In a July 10 memo, Bockelman wrote, “relocating employees solely to vacate the existing building would impose significant costs and operational burdens without providing a functional long-term solution.”

Bockelman also noted that there are insufficient temporary facilities capable of accommodating the full operational needs of the DPW.

“Any temporary relocation must therefore be carefully planned to ensure that essential municipal services are maintained while avoiding unnecessary expenditures of public funds…. Integrating relocation planning into the design process allows the town to develop a single, coordinated strategy that best serves employees, the organization and taxpayers,” he said.

Weston & Sampson, as the designer for the new facility, will do an assessment of temporary and permanent needs. While there has also been consideration of multiple locations and sites, a challenge will be keeping all vehicles under cover and ensuring the mechanics bay can continue to function, with the need for sufficient clearance to get vehicles repaired.

The Wildwood and Ruxton options seem necessary as temporary landing spots, even though Weston & Sampson has informed the DPW Building Committee that there may be enough space to build new and keep the trolley barn up at the current site.

Bockelman said he and the DPW heads, though, aren’t sure there is enough parking and enough room to conduct business, though he said it will be “intriguing to see” what could be done by the experts.

District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, who chaired the Elementary School Building Committee, said the town opted to build the new elementary school, Amethyst Brook, at the Fort River School site on South East Street because there was more room there than the Wildwood School site.

Bockelman also cautioned the Town Council that the $35 million price tag for a new DPW headquarters may limit the town in what it gets.

“We’re going to have to adjust our appetite with what we can achieve for this,” Bockelman said. “We just don’t have the option of expanding the finances for that project if we’re going to stay within our budget.”

This has meant exploring whether new sites would be used for some operations, such as having water personnel work from the new Centennial Water Treatment Plant in Pelham, much like the wastewater treatment personnel works from the Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hadley, at the western edge of the University of Massachusetts campus.