To the editor:
When the Cicero highway garage was built in 1965, the town’s population was approximately
18,630. The latest census of 2010 listed the town’s population as 32,000. Because many
houses, businesses and roads have been added over the years, the highway department has
had to acquire many more vehicles and other equipment to meet the increasing needs of the
Town for snowplowing and road maintenance.
But this highway garage — consisting of 12,000 square feet — is no longer adequate to house our
current inventory of 30+ vehicles and equipment. More importantly, the garage is in severe
disrepair and unsafe, as verified by an inspection report issued by PESH (New York State Public
Employee Safety and Health Bureau) and a building assessment report prepared by the Hueber
Breuer Construction Company earlier this year.
The town board of Cicero has been evaluating this situation for the past three years, exploring
all options for repair, expansion, and/or improvement of the highway garage, always keeping
the lowest possible costs in mind. After considerable deliberation, the town board concluded
that the only solution — from fiscal and functional perspectives — was to build a garage in a new
site, since expansion at the current location is not possible.
The proposed highway department facility consists of a 65,000-square-foot building and a
separate salt shed, and will cost $9.9 million — no frills. Please note that previous plans have
been pared down to this size from 70,000 square feet and an original cost of $11.2 million. The
garage will also be built to last a minimum of 50 years.
The Town Board’s plan is to cover the cost through a 30-year bond (mortgage payment plan). If
construction were to begin this year, the impact on residential property owners, based on an
assessed value of $100,000, is approximately $11 for 2018 or 21 cents per week, and approximately $24 per year, starting in 2020 and for each year until the bond is paid off in 2050.
Building a new highway garage is really the only option. The liability to the town could easily
meet or exceed the cost of a new garage in the event of a serious accident. As the Hueber
Breuer engineering report clearly states on page 125, (available on the town’s website), “The
building is structurally compromised and has exceeded the end of its intended useful life span.”
Said Sean Foran of Hueber Breuer at the Feb. 27, 2017, special town board meeting, “ I
would not have people in that building if you know that you are going to get 18 inches of wet snow, two inches of snow … Common sense would tell you, ‘Don’t push your luck.’”
During this March’s snowstorm, as a safety precaution, the highway garage was vacated for five days and all of the equipment was left outside. All highway department staff worked out of a darks and recreation department garage bay. The town has invested millions of dollars in highway department equipment over the years, and it is important to protect our investment in order to conserve tax payer dollars. One snowplow alone costs $225,000, and the town currently owns 16 plows. The total inventory of all highway department equipment, at current replacement costs is several million dollars.
Please note that half the town’s inventory sits outside in the weather for lack of building space. As Councilor Dick Cushman once stated at a town board meeting, “A homeowner would not
buy a new lawnmower and then let it sit outside in the weather. That mower would be stored in
the garage or a shed.”
I urge you to vote yes for the highway garage referendum on June 7.
Jessica Zambrano
Former Town Supervisor
Cicero
