City looks to relieve crowding in Public Works Department

By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald

By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald

The Public Works Department is bulging at the seams both in office space and equipment, and a couple of solutions are on the drawing board.

The City Council will be considering whether to buy or lease a trailer to help alleviate the need for office space and lunchrooms for the employees.

In the future, the city hopes to build a new facility for the Public Works Department near the site of the water storage tank on 96th Street East, but the project is expected to be at least four years off and will cost about $9 million.

A 30-foot by 60-foot trailer, or modular, building placed on the site behind City Hall will relieve some of the congestion of bodies, but not equipment.

Leasing the building would run about $118,000 for three years. The first year would cost $51,000 with set up and rent. The balance of the $118,000 would be spread over the following two years of the lease.

The City Council will also consider purchasing the building. After public works is finished with it, the structure could be moved to Allan Yorke Park as a maintenance building or used for other city functions.

Public Works Director Dan Grigsby said department buildings were designed when the city had a population of 7,000, “now we are over 16,000.”

Grigsby said the department had nearly 50 employees, plus equipment setting all over the yard exposed in the weather.

The City Council had the modular building on its Tuesday agenda for discussion.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com