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Board discusses stalled highway garage repairs, generator trenching and Lawson Park work; ARPA funds available, staff to follow up
Summary
Councillors pressed town staff for updates on several stalled infrastructure items including highway garage repairs, ARPA‑funded conduit and trenching for a generator project at Lawson Park, and pending bids for site work at 810 Lawson.
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Council members used the meeting’s old‑business segment to press staff for updates on multiple town infrastructure projects, including engineering plans for the highway garage repair, conduit/trenching for a generator project at Town Park (Lawson/Stigelmeyer), and site work at 810 Lawson.
Council members said they had expected follow-up after prior authorizations. Town staff reported that engineering was preparing pricing and that some projects can be scheduled into the fall or winter; no materials had been purchased yet. For the 810 Lawson project (Lawson Park / Stigelmeyer site), staff reported Erie County funds are set aside and town staff were preparing a notice to bidders; a resolution to award a contract was expected on the Sept. 9 agenda.
On the generator and conduit work tied to an emergency generator project, board members said ARPA funds are available to pay for conduit and installation. Some council members urged the highway department to do the shallow trenching in‑house (estimated depth roughly two feet) to avoid repeated contracting delays and long lead times; others cautioned that trenching without conduit on-site could create work staging issues and that some conduit needed to be bid or procured before trenching. Members discussed prior bids: a previously low bidder’s contract period lapsed and rebids produced higher prices, prompting reconsideration about in‑house work.
Board members also discussed a grievance filed by the highway union over use of third‑party contractors on certain road work; staff said past practice has included design‑build and third‑party bids for larger paving projects when town equipment or personnel were not sufficient, and that grievances sometimes reflect misunderstandings about those practices. The board agreed staff and engineering would follow up and notify the board of the planned schedule and any steps needed to resolve grievances.
Finally, the board asked for construction schedules for Tunnel to Towers staging and Pleasant Parkway work. Planning and building staff said construction schedules were not yet finalized but that a variance related to signage for Tunnel to Towers would appear on the September agenda.
Board members asked engineering and highway staff to report back with precise timelines and a written recommendation about using in‑house highway crews versus outside contractors for the generator conduit work; they also asked for confirmation of ARPA funding detail and any required resolutions.
