The Town of Montgomery has needed a new highway garage for many years and that is becoming more of a reality.

The existing structure is located at 300 River Road at the intersection of East Searsville Road and County Route 29. Its main garage measures 10,000 square feet and features a nine-bay pre-engineered metal building with a small wood-framed addition. The newest portion of the main garage was constructed in the 1970s while the original structure predates the 1970s.

Also, the existing site has three additional storage buildings as well as a place for town fuel storage.
A 2019 Report by Andersen Design Group noted several deficiencies with the current facility. The building is undersized for modern highway and snow plow equipment. Furthermore the building has limited insulation and poor sealing of the building envelope provides for inefficient heating and energy use (one can see outside from inside the building). The building’s electrical service is inadequate; electrical lead cords are regularly used to supply power to different parts of the building.

Structural deficiencies were observed that are a result of the building’s age and extended exposure to the road salt. Limited ventilation exists within the building. There is limited separation between the truck bays and employee areas. The building also lacks basic life-saving devices and does not have a fire alarm or carbon monoxide/nitrogen dioxide detection system. The existing building does not meet current Public Employee Safety & Health standards.

Jason Preisner, project manager at Lamont Engineers, P.C., noted the firm wants to bring the town highway department into the 21st Century. The original highway garage was built and used by a different generation. At that time, there were no energy code requirements as well as no modern building code. It was likely that salt and sand were shoveled off of trucks, as there were no sanders at the time.

“To be honest, the town has maximized their use of the existing garage and if you were to go there it is full,” Preisner said.

The new highway garage is proposed on the existing highway garage site in an open field area. At this time, the new highway garage will feature a 260 foot by 90 foot pre-engineered metal building. There will be nine drive-thru truck bays and one drive-thru wash bay. New administrative/employee areas are proposed inside the facility such as a highway superintendent’s office, highway department administration office, employee break room with a kitchen and dining table, men’s and women’s bathrooms with showers, a mechanical room and new mechanical/utility rooms. Radiant floor heating is proposed throughout the building. Heating and air conditioning in the building will be separated into zones. Building and site lighting will utilize LED lighting for energy conservation. The proposed site will have a new septic system, new well, oil and water separator for truck bay floor drains. Modern smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors will be installed as well as a ventilation system. The new facility will also feature an emergency generator (the existing generator will be re-used if possible). Fuel storage and pumps will be relocated to the new garage site.

Lamont Engineers estimate that construction of the new facility will cost approximately $4,934,335. The project is being designed to incorporate “alternates” in the bid. This allows the town to add or subtract portions of the project scope (e.g. wash bay) to control costs. Alternates also allow the town to save money for portions of the work they can provide at a reduced cost (e.g. stone materials for subbase).

The engineers noted that in their experience community leaders often grapple with the need for a new highway garage and its cost impact on the constituents. This discussion often includes “is the building too big” or “can we build a smaller building now and add on later.” Lamont Engineers offered several pieces of advice for the Montgomery Town Board’s consideration based on their experiences on other projects.

Preisner pointed out that interest rates are at an all-time low and the Federal Reserve just voted in July 2021 to keep those rates low. Thus, now is likely the best time to borrow money for the entire project. If the project were broken into smaller pieces (one project now and an addition later), interest rates may (and most likely will) be higher in the future. He added that the highway garage was conceived and built by a different generation, when energy was cheap and different technologies existed. The new building, while larger, will be more efficient to operate over the long-term than the existing building.

Lamont Engineers recommends the full buildout of the proposed building. It is their experience that those who elect to reduce the size of their building in favor of an addition at a later date often find that they outgrow the smaller building very quickly. The proposed building provides “room to grow” while meeting the town’s current needs.

“Building for the 21st Century is what we’re proposing,” Preisner said.

Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher noted that construction for the project will most likely begin in the Spring of 2022 and be finished during the year.

“The highway garage has been important to be completed for many, many years,” he said. “The highway workers are working under conditions that are not optimal… The new facility will help create a longer life for the vehicles and save the taxpayers money in the long run on that and also maintenance costs.”