Public Works Committee approves suite leases, energy and construction contracts; full list of votes

The Albany County Legislature Public Works Committee on March 25 considered and approved multiple procurement, construction and project‑planning items. Most items passed without extended debate; several required brief questions from legislators and staff. Below are the committee’s actions and the key details recorded on the agenda.

Votes at a glance

- Previous minutes (Item 1): Approved unanimously. The committee approved the minutes from the prior meeting by voice vote.

- Suite lease at MVP Arena (Item 2): Authorized a new three‑year lease with Integrated Technology Group for Suite No. 21 at the MVP Arena. Staff said the county raised suite lease rates from $51 to $54.05 per year to reflect cost‑of‑living increases; the tenant provided the required deposit and will begin the lease May 1. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Natural gas supply contract (Item 3): Authorized an agreement with Direct Energy Business for natural gas supply for county facilities through the Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance (MEGA) program. Staff described two pricing groups: monthly accounts (~$41.09 per MMBtu for supply component) and daily/firm accounts (about $1.78 per MMBtu for basis/transportation in the main contract term of Nov. 1, 2026–Oct. 30, 2027). Staff said the county will dollar‑cost average supply purchases to try to capture market dips. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Leachate processing (Item 4): Authorized one‑year renewal with Waste Management Greenfield RDF for leachate processing at the Albany County Water Purification District North Plant (detailed coverage in separate article). Motion carried 5‑3.

- SEQR lead agency designation (Item 15): Designated Albany County as lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act for capital projects at the Water Purification District (South and West process improvement projects) to enable EFC funding applications. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Fire sprinkler and alarm testing contract (Item 5): Authorized a contract with Johnson Controls Fire Protection for annual testing and inspections across county facilities. Staff said four bidders responded; the three‑year contract totals $200,000 plus $54,170 allocated for repairs not covered in the contract. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Demolition of 52 Howard Street Garage (Item 6): Authorized a contract with Almighty General Contracting for demolition at 52 Howard Street. Staff said the low responsive bid was $195,000 plus a 10% contingency of $19,500 for a total not to exceed $214,500; work includes removal of the top deck, a retaining wall repair and new fencing. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Arena chiller replacement (Item 7): Authorized a contract for a backup chiller for the arena. After a repeated solicitation due to specification clarification, Anchor Mechanical was the low responsive bidder at $1,052,225; staff added a 10% contingency for unforeseen conditions. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Utility easement for EV charging (Item 14): Authorized a utility easement agreement with National Grid (referred in the item as NIMO Power Corporation) to install a utility pole at 24 Martin Road to support school EV charging infrastructure. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Coal Hill Road paving (Item 8): Authorized a contract with Allstate Construction (d/b/a Gorman Construction) for recycling/paving 4.8 miles on County Route 2 (Towns of Vorne and Westerlo) in an amount not to exceed $741,736.10. Staff noted a bridge replacement at the bottom of the route is scheduled for next year and will not conflict with this year’s work. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Quiet Zone budget amendment (Item 9): Amended the 2025 Department of Public Works budget to reappropriate $247,545 and rename the budget line to indicate the Village of Boardsville Quiet Zone project. Staff said construction could occur as soon as this summer if a revised CSX maintenance contract is received. Motion carried by voice vote.

- ADA self‑evaluation and transition plan (Item 10): Authorized participation with the Capital Region Transportation Council (CRTC) on an ADA evaluation and transition plan; CRTC provides $20,000 and the county contributes $2,000. Staff said CRTC will administer the consultant contract; the work will identify physical barriers on sidewalks and trails and outline corrective measures. Motion carried by voice vote.

- On‑call engineering (Item 11): Authorized an on‑call engineering services agreement with Creighton Manning for bridge, roadway and culvert projects to expedite smaller or urgent engineering needs without separate procurement. Motion carried by voice vote.

- On‑call parks engineering (Item 12): Authorized an on‑call agreement with Colliers Engineering & Design for parks and recreation projects. Staff said proposals included subconsultants when proposers lacked in‑house capabilities. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Hot in‑place asphalt recycling (Item 13): Authorized an agreement with Highway Rehabilitation Corp. for hot in‑place recycling and resurfacing on County Route 408 in Westerlo (about six miles). Motion carried by voice vote.

What comes next

Most items approved are procurement or planning actions that authorize staff to execute contracts and move capital projects forward. Committee members asked staff for follow‑up on schedule details (Quiet Zone timing, CSX contract) and for documentation (pricing details, PFAS data for Item 4). Several projects will proceed to contract execution and field work this construction season.