Council hears options for public works facility; staff outline $5M infill and $8M full-rebuild scenarios

Public Works staff and consultants presented two concept options to replace or upgrade the city’s public works facility and described operational issues the department faces now, including equipment storage, recent hiring, storm-response needs and sewer-line camera work that briefly affected some residents.

Consultant Rick Hamlin presented site plans for a roughly 3-acre property off Jackson Street that currently includes a salt shed, a 5,388-square-foot main shop, a 2,861-square-foot salt/storage shed, a 2,770-square-foot storage building and a 2,005-square-foot “water building.” Hamlin described two concept paths: a 9,900-square-foot infill connecting existing buildings (version 1) and a single new building of about 20,000–21,000 square feet replacing most structures on site (version 2). Hamlin said the infill/renovation concept would cost about $5,000,000, while a full rebuild would be in the “about $8,000,000” range. He said either approach would likely require roughly a year of construction from groundbreaking to occupancy.

Ricky Jones, the public works superintendent, reviewed current operations and recent work: the department has hired two full-time employees and is again fully staffed; Lincoln Hall renovations are wrapping up; crews assisted the wastewater treatment plant with a new camera using the department’s Super Sucker 7,000 vehicle; and the department continues traffic-light and camera troubleshooting around the city. Jones described using a new camera skid on the Super Sucker 7,000 for sewer-line inspection;…