County will tackle bridges, culverts and new roof at Public Safety Building

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – The county is moving forward with several infrastructure and capital projects, including the replacement of the roof on the Public Safety Building.

The County Legislature approved a bid on Wednesday to replace the roof at a cost not to exceed $476,820. The Public Safety Building has a large flat roof. It is prone to leaks and the project should not be delayed, said Legislator Bill Eick.

“It’s at the point where we have to do something and we will do it,” Eick said during Wednesday’s Legislature meeting.

The Legislature last October approved an $8 million bond to work on replacing bridges, culverts, roofs and other infrastructure work.

Most of that money, about $5 million, will go towards replacing six bridges from 2015 to 2017. The county is moving forward with some of the projects after getting little state and federal dollars for bridges. Another state and federal funding cycle doesn’t come up until 2017.

The bond will also provide funding for projects at the county buildings, including the roof replacement at the Public Safety Building. That contract was approved for Garland/DBS, a company from Cleveland, Ohio.

Legislators also approved spending $48,814 from the Capital Project Infrastructure Account on Wednesday for a natural gas emergency generator from Southworth-Milton CAT, Inc. in Boston, Ma.

The Legislature also approved engineering agreements for culvert and bridge projects. Labella Associates in Rochester will be paid up to $96,000 for engineering and design work for the Oak Orchard Road Bridge over Manning Muckland Creek in Barre, up to $80,000 for work on Waterport Carlton Road Bridge over Beardsly Creek in Carlton, and up to $40,000 for work on two culverts in Ridgeway on Knowlesville Road over an Oak Orchard River tributary.

The county also approved an agreement with the state Department of Transportation for replacing the Hulberton Road Bridge over the west branch of Sandy Creek in the Town of Murray. That project will be $1,338,900. The county share will be $66,945 with the state and federal governments paying the rest. This is one of the few bridge projects in the county with the federal and state contributions.