Lansing Highway Department hosts open house

The Town of Lansing Highway Department and Bergmann Architects, Engineers and Planners hosted an open house Sept. 17, inviting residents to meet the crew, tour the facility and discover how the Highway Department serves Lansing. The event also included a presentation about a proposed future facility.

According to Highway Department officials, the current facility was built in 1968 and needs significant upgrades to meet operational requirements, code and industry standards and employee health and safety.

“The Town of Lansing is looking to build a new 46,515-square-foot, single-story highway facility,” Highway Superintendent Mike Moseley explained. “This will replace the current building we are working out of today. Parts of the current facility would be utilized for cold storage.”

The facility, located at 10 Town Barn Rd., holds the primary highway garage, fuel island, salt shed, topsoil shed and materials storage.

The Highway Department, which handles the town’s snowplowing, road repair, storm water drainage, brush collection and maintenance of water and sewage systems, said that its primary garage has been plagued by disrepair and is in need of significant updates. The 50-year-old structure contains a small office space, maintenance bay, truck storage and attached pole barn.

To stay operational, the department has had to improvise short-term solutions for roof leaks, cracked concrete and equipment breakdowns, Moseley said.

“The roof is leaking and needs to be replaced,” he said. “Our truck bay drain is crumbling, causing structural and drainage issues. The electric in the building is nearly 50 years old and in need of updating and repairs. There’s a great need overall for additional space for more adequate storage, equipment maintenance, an employee locker room and breakroom area.”

Moseley also noted that the fuel island, which is shared by the fire department and the town’s recreation department, has significant underground wiring issues.

“In order to fix this, it would require tearing out flooring of the building to access the wires,” Moseley said.

Bergmann Architects, Engineers and Planners was hired to evaluate the existing Highway Department facility and make recommendations to meet the department’s current and future needs.

The office area entrances do not meet all of the accessibility requirements put forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is visible water damage and leakage on the facility’s façade, and many existing doors and frames are in poor condition, according to Bergmann’s report, which noted observations and deficiencies.

The report also stated that the insulation beneath the main garage roof is aged and damaged and may contain hazardous materials. The maintenance bays, which include a welding bay, are crowded and have limited overhead space for vehicle repair, and many areas of the concrete floor have visible large cracks. There is also visible flooding throughout the facility, primarily in the pole barn.

Moseley believes that with the town’s growing population, the most important aspect of the Highway Department’s function is a highly efficient highway building. The community’s population has more than tripled in the last 50 years, and time has taken its toll on the building.

The Highway Department is seeking to improve its facility by adding more vehicle storage, updated equipment and systems, improved technology and adequate space. The Parks and Recreation Department will be added to provide improved response and shared amenities.

“As this population has grown, so have their services,” Moseley said. “With that said, a new highway facility will help our growing personnel and equipment better perform those services.”

When it comes to the facility, residents should consider not only daily operations but also emergency response.

“If you have a well-functioning building and the space for equipment, it allows the Highway Department to not only operate on a day-to-day basis but allows us to better respond to emergencies that may occur 24/7/365,” Moseley said.

According to Moseley, hosting the recent open house was beneficial because it provided Lansing residents with an up-close look at the facility and the repairs that are required.

“I believe the open house provided taxpayers with the opportunity to come see the condition of the highway barn with the hope that seeing the current space highlighted how a new building could better serve the public,” he said.

The town anticipates putting the plan out to bid in early 2023, with construction hopefully beginning around July, Moseley said. He believes most residents in the Lansing community are in support of the proposed facility.

“The taxpayers I spoke with were supportive of the proposal,” he said. “The biggest question is how will the $15 million bond affect them directly, which is yet to be determined.”

For those who were unable to attend the open house, the Town of Lansing also had an informational booth at the Lansing Carnival on Sept. 24, located at the Lansing Fire Department, 80 Ridge Rd. Staff from Bergmann Architects, Engineers and Planners was available to answer questions and share information about the project.

For more information about the town Highway Department, visit its website at lansingtown.com/highway.

Lansing at Large appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.