Bidding Begins on New Lexington Highway Garage

LEXINGTON - There is never a glorious time for Lexington to spend maybe a million bucks or more on a new highway department garage, but since it is necessary and inevitable, the timing couldn’t be better, officials say.

Town supervisor Robert Riccardella gave an update on the project, earlier this week, noting construction specifications have been dispersed to potential contractors readying for a February 9 pre-bid meeting.

Lamont Engineers, the job overseer, will be present for that assemblage, leading to bid openings on February 26 at the municipal hall.

Initial estimates, eighteen months ago, put the price tag at $2.25 million, a difficult fiscal pill for local taxpayers to swallow regardless of when.

That figure, however, has already been cut in half by the lovely news that Lexington would be receiving a matching grant of $1.31 million from the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Town officials expect to reap more greenbacks from selling two pieces of property that will no longer be used for highway operations; one along Route 42 and another on Route 23A now serving as headquarters.

A new structure will be built along Greene County Route 13, adjacent to the current sand/salt storage facility, a very busy spot this winter.

Riccardella, expressing optimism about the anticipated offers said, “at least a dozen bid packets have been picked up and we are expecting more.

“We are putting this out there at what could be a very good time,” the supervisor said, hopeful that prospective contractors will eagerly be crunching numbers in what is a slowed market.

Government leaders, meanwhile, have also authorized the issuance of a bond anticipation note not to exceed $2.5 million.

“We are thinking it will be much less than $2.5 million. This is something we need to do to start the solicitation of bids,” Riccardella said.

“This gives us the revenue stream we need to pay the builders while we are waiting for the other money to come in,” Riccardella said, eyeing possible groundbreaking in mid-spring.

The need for upgrades in the highway department dates back two decades and more to the period when the late Kenneth Becker was supervisor, searching diligently for external funding support.

It was well known the old highway garage site, located along Route 42, was hit by numerous flooding incidents, most dramatically in the summer of 2011 and Tropical Storm Irene.

Over the years, groundwork was set for selling that land to the Department of Environmental Protection as part of their flood mitigation program.

Lexington’s new home base will be a single story 58-by-152-foot wood-framed structure constructed southwest of the existing salt shed, documents from Lamont Engineers state.

“The building will have six 16-foot-wide by 14-foot-tall truck bays, as well as administrative/office areas, storage, a break room, and unisex restroom with shower,” the documents state.

Engineers say the site will include a below-ground rainwater holding tank, noting similar tanks, “have been really successful in other facilities,” reducing strain on wells for washing trucks, interior cleaning, etc.

Solar roof panels and radiant floor pipes will be installed, making the most of precious winter heat, especially when bay doors are opened and the warmth-stealing southwest winds invade.

In other matters:

—Riccardella told fellow council members that productive discussions have been initiated between the town and State Department of Transportation regarding a planned Route 42 road project through the Notch.

The supervisor, last month, was authorized to send a letter to DOT in which he addressed a culvert replacement job, perhaps this summer, that would shut down the vital mountain passageway for as long as 60 days.

In the letter, Riccardella wrote, “the Town of Lexington strenuously objects to the timing and staging of this project, not the need for the project.

“Route 42 is the only road that exits the town south and connects us with Route 28 and everything south of us,” the letter states.

“The obvious inconvenience to our residents aside, having to detour through the village of Hunter and Route 214 south into Phoenicia to get to Route 28 is a burden,” the letter states.

“The project as defined now…presents us with very serious safety concerns. The complete closure of Route 42 would cut off a section of our town from fire, rescue and ambulance response,” the letter states.

“We would be forced to ask multiple agencies to cover our responsibilities in that section of town. We would also be forced to re-route our ambulance,” the letter states.

DOT has responded and a get together is planned for later this month or early March, Riccardella said, aimed at finding an alternative solution.

—A respectful Moment of Silence was held for two residents who recently passed away, Diane Pushman and Ron Lipton.

Pushman, the onetime president of the Lexington volunteer fire company Ladies Auxiliary, is the mother of councilman William Pushman.

Lipton was a member of the local planning board for many years, president of the local Democratic Club and “a sweet gentleman,” Riccardella said.