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The Lansing Town Board discussed Wednesday early steps toward upgrading and expanding the Highway Department building.  Water and sewer work are among the many current responsibilities of the department that did not exist when the facility was built 51 years ago.  Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell says that upgrading the building has been under discussion for the past dozen years, and something has to be done for the building to catch up to current demands.  He estimates that the project may end up costing the Town between $2.5 and $4 million.

"We've definitely grown as far as the maintenance and the things that we do. Some of them mean an increase in equipment, and just trying to have space for that as well as really trying to be more equipped and set up to deal with the water and the sewer work that we do," Purcell says. "51 years ago it really wasn't an issue. And we've kind of grown into that and with the Warren road sewer district and stuff, the department's expanded as far as what we're responsible for."

Before the existing facility was built the Highway Department was housed in the building across Auburn Road next to what is now 'Scoops Ice Cream'.  51 years ago they moved into the current facility.  Purcell says updating the building is long overdue.  Purcell says that in hindsight the Town should have been looking at upgrading the facility 20 years ago, because significantly increased responsibilities have made the current facility almost obsolete, plus parts of the building are just falling apart.

"We're just out of space," Purcell says. "A lot of the mechanicals are just really outdated. I mean, we've got electrical panels that are full -- you can't really add to anything. There are starting to be some deficiencies where we've had some broken conduits and wires. The mechanicals are just really outdated -- plumbing and all that stuff. Certainly administrative facilities and personnel facilities are really substandard today to today's standards.  And sometimes ice is on the inside of the buildings."

Councilman Joe Wetmore said he went over an earlier plan that came out of a needs assessment about a year and a half ago.  Wetmore said the consultant the Town had contracted didn't account for the department's actual needs.

"I went over the plan with Cricket and I was really disappointed," Wetmore said. "Not with Cricket, but in looking at it and saying, well why do you have four offices in your office section? 'Cause I don't want that. That was stuck in without really talking with me enough.' I asked him why is the sign making a section in the offices where I think that would be a problem, because of course it can't be there. And so if that, the level of work that we got, I don't feel great confidence in the rest of it."

Lansing Director of Planning C.J. Randall said that a county planning department program will provide up to $7,000 worth of consulting by approved firms in the program.  She recommended using CJ Brown Energy because they have expertise in similar projects.

"We can get $7,000 and free consulting," Randall said. "Now I understand the Town has already paid for consulting services, but I'm really looking to 'ground truth' that analysis, both the scope project and the cost per square foot. We're trying to tackle what the entire scope of the project will be from start to finish, and the project management that goes along with that. And also, do we really want to put the investment in the drawings up front and all the architectural and engineering that goes along with it?"

Supervisor Ed LaVigne noted that when the original evaluation was conducted the Town was in between planners, and the planning consultant that was here had more urgent major projects on his desk.

"Sometimes it's the right idea, but the wrong time," LaVigne said. "This seems to be the right idea at the right time. We have our full time planner who has, perhaps, more contacts in this area, not to throw stones at our planning consultant or the consultant who did the previous scope work. In my opinion, it got us into a serious discussion and through C.J. -- you found $7,000 of money we can use without paying $7,000."

Purcell notes that he has a good crew that does a lot of good work for the Town.  He says he is fortunate that they do not complain about the deficiencies in the building.

"I feel like this day and age, you have people that could come and gripe to the Town Board 24/7 about the conditions. 'I don't have a clean place to sit to eat my lunch... I don't really have adequate rest facilities...' So we're just basically trying to catch up with the times."

Purcell says that the new study will provide a more usable plan, but says it may be another 10 to 15 years before the project can be realized.  He says that Randall is skilled at finding grants that may contribute to reducing the cost to taxpayers.

"It started out with a needs assessment to evaluate the building and see where your real deficiencies are, what we should  be looking for and how doing these things can save money in the long term to help kind of offset the costs," he says. "So we're trying to get more nuts and bolts of real structural stuff in and real mechanical things. It's going to be a big cost, but there's obviously, you know, we want to get as much information out there for everybody.  It's been great with C.J. because she's really looks for all the funding options we can get to help offset any cost."

Randall said a conference call is scheduled next week to discuss obtaining the consulting work from the county.

LaVigne said that once the scope and cost of the project is known, it will have to go before the voters, who will determine whether or not to allow the expenditure.  He noted that when the Town Hall was built the original plan was nixed by voters, resulting in a smaller project.

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