Oswego trustees appear to favor a plan to expand and repurpose the existing Public Works facility in the village rather than build a new one.
The Oswego Village Board at a recent committee-of-the-whole meeting appeared supportive of expanding the existing Public Works facility for around $22 million, as opposed to building an entirely new facility at an estimated cost of up to $40.2 million.
The Village Board in early 2024 authorized the hiring of the Itasca-based Williams Architects to identify options for the Public Works Department including possible expansion of the existing facility at 100 Theodore Drive, which was built in 2002.
The board in February acquired a neighboring piece of property to provide additional space at the site, specifically for materials storage, a second salt dome and a fueling station.
Earlier this month, trustees hired Frederick Quinn Corporation general contractors in Addison to create a schematic design for the Public Works facility project.
The architects several months ago presented a space needs analysis that considered the existing space, the space needed at the present time and future space need projections through 2050.
Based on today’s needs, Williams Architects found that the current facility only provides 42% of the space needed for Public Works staff and operations, village officials said.
The Village Board requested the four options being considered for the facility be reduced to two options.
Option A would construct a new storage garage and administrative spaces, while renovating the existing Public Works facility, at an estimated cost of $20.7 million to $22.4 million.
Option B would build an entirely new facility with a new storage garage, administrative spaces, workshops and a new fleet maintenance facility at an estimated cost of $37 million to $40.2 million.
“We think either option would get us to 2040 or 2050, depending on how fast the village grows,” Oswego Facilities Manager Steve Raasch told trustees.
The village has various funding sources to support the project, including general fund reserves of $18 million that could be put toward the work, cash from a general fund surplus, money from the water and sewer capital fund and more, according to staff reports.
“Although the existing Public Works facility is no longer close to being of the size that meets the village’s needs for Public Works operations and infrastructure, it’s only a 20-year-old building. It still has good bones and it still can certainly meet a lot of space needs for the project,” Williams Architects Chief Operating Officer Andy Dogan said.
“One of the things that we really started to take a closer look at is how can we repurpose and remodel portions of the building to help us get to the entire space needs program that we developed,” Dogan said. “The intent is to have a good use of an existing resource and save money by doing a little remodeling and repurposing rather than building everything new.”
Option A was changed to feature expansion of the village’s existing fleet maintenance facility by adding an additional bay at the Public Works site, Dolan said.
“We know that storing vehicles inside really helps protect the investment that you have made in equipment,” Dolan said. “This protects your investment now and into the future.”
The village will convene a steering committee to further discuss the project, officials said.
Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman said he is strongly in favor of Option A.
“I think it gets us everything that we need, it checks all of the boxes, and we have the cash on hand,” Kauffman said. “We have been responsibly saving for it, and we can do this without taking on a single cent of debt.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
