In early December, the Director of Public Works presented a plan for the renovation and expansion of the Public Works Operations Centre – aka the “public works yard”. The review had been approved in September 2019 when authorization was granted to hire a design and engineering firm, Greenview Environmental Management, to develop a plan to expand the capacity of the public works facilities. Early in the design process the capacity limits of the existing site caused the firm and staff to explore other options, including expanding the existing site of purchasing/utilizing a different site within the township. The most reasonably priced alternative was to purchase a severed parcel of adjacent land.
The Cavan yard is located at 1470 County Rd. 10 just north of the train tracks. The building is in poor shape which has been exacerbated by recent leaks in the roof. The consultant delivered two preliminary design options for the Cavan yard that are similar in size and construction but located on different parts of the existing site. The proposed building includes seven bays, one dedicated to washing vehicles, and consists a steel frame with steel siding and an interior concrete slab. The total price tag for the preferred option is $2.5 million. Given the magnitude of the expenditure, staff are recommending that the expense be spread over two years, with construction scheduled to begin this fall and completed in 2022.
The proposal for the Millbrook yard located at 70 King St. West consists of a new building with a 4-bay garage: two each for Public Works vehicles and the Parks Department. This sharing would be convenient as the prime demand for the building are in opposite seasons for the two departments. The proposed construction has room for the storage of equipment that is currently kept in outdoor containers due to lack of space. Staff are recommending that this project commence in 2022 with the work completed in 2023. While smaller than the Cavan design, the building is similar in style and materials and is projected to cost $800,000 in total.
The initial payment of $1.2 million that would be incurred under this proposal for the Cavan Yard appears in the initial draft of the 2021 Capital Budget. KG
