By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
What would you do if you nearly tripled your work space?
In Canal Winchester, the Public Works Department is happily facing this situation following years of working out of a decades-old building and cramped, off-site offices.
“When trucks didn’t fit through the doorways, it was time,” said Canal Winchester City Council President Steve Donahue.
The new $2.5 million 21,000 square-foot Public Works building, located at 400 Ashbrook Road, contains nearly 17,000 square-feet of garage/storage space and a 4,400 square-feet office, conference and workroom space.
“The old building was just a little over 6,000 square feet,” said Canal Winchester Construction Services Administrator Bill Sims during a March 21 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It is no comparison to what we have now. It’s a big step-up. It’s been a great experience for us. We never did a design-build building before. It’s been a real learning experience. The project moved along pretty well. The weather was very agreeable.”
An existing 1950’s era garage was demolished and replaced with a pre-engineered steel building built by Ferguson Construction and financed by the city. The facility is capable of housing vehicles, equipment and staff in one centralized location.
Canal Winchester Mayor Mike Ebert expects the city will hold an open house for the community to visit the new complex in late spring or early summer once construction is complete. Driveways and parking areas are not yet paved and contractor vehicles still dot the area.
“This is a long time coming,” said Canal Winchester Public Works Director Matt Peoples. “It gives us a place that is deserving of the work we do in the community and the days of 15 guys using one restroom is about over.”
The Public Service department is responsible for 48 miles of streets; 62 miles of sewer pipes, 41 miles of water mains and 39 miles of storm drain pipe; 10 parks totaling 157 acres; five miles of paved multi-use paths; 10 bridges; 14 traffic signals and hundreds of street lights; thousands of street and park trees and nearly four dozen buildings and structures.
