| The push for a safer and more efficient facility for the City of Montrose's Public Works Department has been in the works since at least 2021, when a needs assessment found the current facility near the airport was inadequate for the growing department. Four years later, ground construction work has begun for a new facility that should be complete by 2027. It's a big project with a $77 million dollar price tag that will relocate around 70 employees and allow the city to offer new services and better communication with the public. "The city's been working on this for a long time, and we're really excited about it." said Public Works Director Jim Scheid. Inefficient and unsafe Scheid explained the 70-employee Public Works Department is responsible for a litany of tasks ranging from engineering to sidewalk maintenance. "In general, maintain and construct everything owned by the city" he said. This includes streets, sidewalks, public parks, water, stormwater and sewer systems, trash and recycling collection, and the housing of the city's engineering department as well as administrative staff. The department also boasts and maintains its own fleet of vehicles and equipment. Scheid noted the needs assessment, as well as an evaluation of the current facility, found the space and property could not meet the needs of the department, especially as the city grows. "We have very inefficient and even unsafe work conditions where we're at," he said. One major issue is that the facility, and the property itself, is just too small. Scheid said the facility and grounds must be at least 12 acres to provide adequate workspace and storage, and the current property is only 9 acres, only some of which can be built on due to restrictions. Indoor storage is also less than a quarter of what it needs to be, forcing employees to store equipment outside or move it in and out of workspaces. He explained the cramped spaces have created ineffective work processes, increasing wear and tear on equipment leading to higher expenses for heating and electricity to keep vehicles warm outside. For example, Scheid explained the current facility lacks a proper storage building for the largest vactor tanks the city owned, which must be stored in a relatively climate-controlled space. So, at night crews must clear out the fleet repair shop to store the vehicles, and remove them in the morning. According to Scheid, this is not safe for the workers or gear, as the space is cramped and not meant to store a fleet of that size. Additionally, other city vehicles like garbage trucks are stored outside, causing increased wear and tear. Finally, he noted the public works facility is difficult for the public to access, another problem the new campus will address. A big investment underway The city is shelling out around $77 million for the new facility, $55 million of which it plans to borrow through bonds. Ground construction is already underway at the new campus near W. Oak Grove Road, including site fill and irrigation relocation work. Facility construction is slated to begin this fall, and wrap up in early 2027. "We're really starting to see action on the ground," Scheid said. He explained the needs assessment found a 16-acre site would be ideal for the department, which is just about the footprint of the new property. He said it will be more accessible to the public as well, with a dedicated public parking lot and front doors open to the public that provide safe access into the administrative wing of the facility. The extra space will allow the city to begin offering a green waste collection service, which Scheid said constituents have requested for years. He said it will solve the other problems caused by the lack of space and storage as well. One last perk for the city is the parcel's location, which will allow it to eventually complete an expansion of South Rio Grande Avenue. "We were really lucky with this property," Scheid said. More information on the Public Works Department: cityofmontrose.org/146/Public-Works | 
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