North East accepts bids for new salt shed

NORTH EAST — Decrepit, dilapidated, shoddy, unstable — these are all words that could be used to describe the town of North East’s salt storage shed at its highway facility on South Center Street. That’s why the Town Board instructed Town Engineer Ray Jurkowski to seek solutions for replacing the shed. The goal is to relocate the salt shed when the town is finally able to afford building a highway garage at a new location in the future.

The problem

“We’ve been hoping [that acquiring a new highway garage] was just around the corner, but it’s been dragging along, and as far as the condition of the economy,  considering the current upsets in the markets and listening to the talking heads on television, the prospect is that the low level will continue dragging along the bottom of the curve, so to speak, for another year or perhaps longer,” town Supervisor Dave Sherman said. “None of us knows for sure.”

The options for a salt shed replacement were discussed at the Thursday, Aug. 11, Town Board meeting.

“It’s in a state of disrepair and does need to be replaced,” Jurkowski confirmed.

The solution

He told the board members they had the alternative of choosing a fabric structure (which would also have metal and concrete in the construction) or one made of wood; he recommended the fabric structure as it could be moved more easily in the future. The new shed will also be larger, about 30 feet by 30 feet versus the current size of 30 feet by 15 feet.

The new shed will be closed on three sides and have a capped dome. The fabric’s life expectancy is 15 years and under warranty. Jurkowski said he’s confident the shed will age well, as he knows of some DOT facilities in operation that have had the same sheds for more than 15 years that don’t show any signs of wear and tear.

“It’s very similar to the DOT’s [Department of Transportation] structure on Route 22 [in Millerton], but slightly different,” he explained, adding he’s already gone out for quotes to get an idea of the cost.

The cost

The low bid for the 87 concrete barrier blocks needed for the shed’s foundation came from Bonded Concrete, Inc., for  $6,250, which includes delivery. A lower bid of $5,400 came from F.H. Stickles & Son, Inc., but that bid did not include delivery, which Jurkowski said would add to the town’s cost dramatically.

The low bid for the fabric structure was made verbally from Norseman Structures, for a total of $5,700, which again includes delivery, but not installation. The quote for installation/erection of the structure from Norseman is $450 per day; it is estimated that the fabric structure can be installed in one day’s time. The engineer said he is still waiting for the bid to be delivered in print, but once that’s accomplished he’s confident Norseman is the company with which to do business.

The details

The North East Highway Department’s South Center Street location backs onto the Webatuck Creek. However, Jurkowski said he checked with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and received the OK to proceed with the project. According to the DEC, no permit is required to remove the old salt shed or install the new structure, despite its close proximity to the creek. The town’s highway crew is expected to tear down the old salt shed itself for little cost and with little effort, and according to Sherman, it will take little time.

“I suspect most of it will be gone within a morning,” he said.

After Jurkowski made his presentation last week, the Town Board moved to accept his recommendations to hire the two lowest bidders (pending a written submission from Norseman Structures); the motion passed with unanimous approval.

The following day Sherman revisited the town’s quest to relocate its highway facilities.

“Research has been done on a new location,” he said, but added there have been complications. “Given the downturn in the economy, we’ve been reluctant to bring the proposal to the voters since it will require an increase in taxes for building such a structure [and buying the property].”

The numbers the town has been toying with while on its search have hovered around the $2 million mark, what Sherman calls “a very substantial cost.” He added thus far, the timing has not been right to bring the issue before voters.

“We were prepared to do something when the referendum went up for the library to receive $125,000 a year for its operations and we certainly felt if we came forward with our own proposition at that time and added another $125,000 [a year] to that tab, both propositions would have failed,” he said. “And that was not what we wanted to happen, so we held back.”

After that, the economy plummeted.

“We knew the recession was happening and we were not looking to cause people an additional burden on their taxes when people were losing work hours and starting to lose jobs,” Sherman said. “So we had to kind of forgo the prospect of looking to build a replacement facility because it was not the time to be asking people to contribute more.”

When the time does come, the Town Board is hoping it will be ready. For now, it will have to be satisfied with a new salt shed — one that will be able to be transported to a new location once things look up for everyone.