By Monica Pryts
GREENVILLE — Greenville council Thursday decided to build a new public works garage on borough-owned property behind the fire station facing Ridge Avenue for $328,000.
They had two other options for a new garage as presented by Jon Snyder of HRG Inc. of Hermitage, the borough’s engineer: build an addition on the back of the East Avenue fire station or construct a building facing Union Street, which crosses Ridge behind the station.
Adding on to the fire station isn’t feasible because of the building’s layout and it would interfere with the firefighters’ training tower, Snyder said.
A garage facing Union would require the borough to also build a retaining wall because of ground slope in that area, an added cost of up to $100,000, he said.
HRG is still designing plans for the garage, which will be next to the borough’s newly built salt storage shed. The company is planning on a pre-engineered steel building, the most economical type of structure, Snyder said.
The garage will have enough space for an office, restroom, storage, lockers and a large work area and can be expanded if needed.
Public works employees have been working out of the fire station since May 2007, when the state Department of Labor and Industry declared the department’s garage on Achre Way a safety hazard.
Council set aside $350,000 in the budget for a new garage and the street committee is looking at storage options before winter for public works’ equipment, which sits outside.
