DPW Garage Addition (2010 LGAA)

Village of Colonie (Winner)
County: Albany County
Population: 5,000 to 10,000
Village Hall: (518) 869-7562

This project consisted of the demolition of the original Village of Colonie's Department of Public Works garage built in the early 1950's and the construction of a new expanded garage in its place. The original block building which housed the DPW offices and break room was crumbling and the roof was poor. The four DPW supervisory personnel shared an area smaller than some residential closets, and the break room, shared by 20 employees, was very cramped and outdated as well. The shell of the building was advertised for bid and a contract was awarded. The only construction done by the contractor was the footings, four walls, roof and floor. All other parts of this project were completed by on-staff DPW personnel, including the site work rough grading, underground plumbing, all interior framing, electrical, plumbing, sheetrock, drop ceilings, doors, molding, paint and all the finish work. DPW personnel also completely disassembled and demolished the old building. Everything that was reusable was stored and re-used in the new building, including the HVAC rooftop unit.

The Village of Colonie was fortunate to have a motivated, willing and able staff that was very interested in helping to improve their workplace, which in turn has improved morale by providing them with a state-of-the-art facility. Other municipalities can easily duplicate the project by motivating their personnel with similar responsibilities that will better their working environment. Timing the construction so that it coincides with slower times of the year is also important.

This project directly affected the Village residents by providing them with a modern space to meet with Department of Public Works supervisors, since previously they had to stand in a hallway to have their concerns addressed. Additionally, it indirectly affected the residents of the Village by making DPW operations more efficient. As a result of the project, the Village was provided with a building that is more energy efficient than the 1950s building that was replaced. The building has also provided the DPW with additional garage space for vehicles and storage space for equipment, tools and supplies.

By having on staff personnel perform more than 50% of the work, the Village was able to realize a substantial cost savings. This cost savings allowed some things to be included in the project that may have not normally been included, such as a new generator to run the entire DPW garage, new heat detectors in the entire garage area, and an electronic key entry system for the building.