FERGUSON TOWNSHIP — A new public works facility is in the planning stages as Ferguson Township continues to grow.
Plans for a 13,000-square-foot building that will contain public works offices, vehicle repair and vehicle fueling stations are going through the Planning Commission and township supervisors for final approval. The $4.5-million project budget has been approved and the hope is for the project to be out to bid in June, with construction starting this fall or in the spring of 2020, said Public Works Director David Modricker.
Modricker said he hopes for the building to be up and ready to go at some point in 2020. The building will be constructed on the current township campus at 3147 Research Drive. The garage services the public works fleet as well as the police fleet and administrative vehicles.
The need for the building is clear, said Modricker, as the public works staff has grown significantly since the current building was constructed in 1982. While there were seven on the road crew at that time, there are now 25 full-time staff — 18 alone that report to the garage. In addition, the township employs one part-time mechanic, three part-time landscapers and two part-time road workers in the summer. While the township used to manage with one full-time mechanic, there are now two.
The new building would leave “a little room to grow” for the township as it moves forward, but it is the right size for the current needs, said Modricker. The two-floor building will contain office space on the second floor, and the 12,000-square-foot first floor will contain three work bays, a wash bay and a fueling bay, along with restrooms, locker rooms and a break room for township employees.
The township is committed to a low-impact style of development and is attempting LEED Gold certification on the project. Not included in the cost of the building project is a potential addition of solar panels as part of an energy power purchase agreement with hopes to make the building a net zero energy building.
The current public works building will be used as a storage area for township vehicles and equipment when the new building is completed.
