Oswego looking at plan to reuse part of its public works facility in expansion plan

Oswego village trustees are eyeing a proposal to reuse part of the village’s public works facility rather than having to build a whole new facility.

As trustees learned at their March 18 Committee of the Whole meeting, doing so could save millions with an estimated cost of $25 million compared to the $41 million for a facility that would be mostly new. In addition, the village would be able to pay for the project using existing funds.

The current public works facility was constructed in 2002. Right now, numerous pieces of equipment have to be stored outdoors because there is a limited amount of space in the building.

Nineteen pieces of equipment – valued between $2 million and $2.5 million – have to be stored outdoors. In addition, there is no office space left in the building.

At the meeting, village trustees favored an option that would repurpose the building at 100 Theodore Drive while adding space needed for future growth. That would involve remodeling 24,315 square feet while adding 92,961 square feet.

“Option A includes taking the existing building, renovating the building and trying to get as much useful space out of that property as humanly possible,” Oswego Facilities Manager Steve Raasch told the Village Board.

Option B, estimated to cost $41 million, would include 119,217 square feet of new space along with 3,500 square feet of remodeled office space.

“We think either option would get us to 2040 or 2050, depending on how fast the village grows,” Raasch said.

The existing building was constructed for a population of 20,000 to 25,000. Oswego now has a population of more than 34,000, according to the 2020 U.S. census.

“Although the existing public works facility is no longer anywhere close to being of a size that meets the village’s needs for public works operations and infrastructure, it’s only a 20-year-old or so building,” Andy Dogan, chief operating officer of Williams Architects, told village trustees. “It still has good bones. It still can certainly meet a lot of space needs for the project. One of the things that we’ve really started taking a closer look at is how can we repurpose and remodel portions of that building to help us get to the entire space needs program that we developed last fall.”

Williams Architects had told village trustees that additional property was necessary to build a facility lasting to 2050 and beyond. At the Jan. 21 Oswego Village Board meeting, village trustees voted to buy a 2.5 acre parcel in the Stonehill Business Park for $600,000.

The property is located immediately east of the current public works facility at 100 Theodore Drive. Option A includes 96 spaces of different sizes for vehicles and equipment.

“This encompasses not only current needs, but the village’s projections for vehicles and equipment out 25 years,” Dogan said. “So this is really a future focused facility with respect to vehicle storage. And we know that storing the vehicles inside really helps protect that investment that you’ve made in all of that equipment.”

A wash bay also is included in the plan along with offices, a training room, a fitness space and locker rooms. What the new building will look like is still being worked out.

“The village will be convening a steering committee to look at and guide us with respect to aesthetics and colors and things of that nature,” Dogan said.

A second salt dome might also be part of the plans.

“Right now, we cannot store a year’s worth of salt in our existing dome,” Oswego Village Administrator Dan Di Santo said. “We are at the point where we’re really going to try to get a second dome into this project.”

After the plans are finalized, construction of the new facility is expected to take 13-16 months.

Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman voiced his support for option A.

“I think it gets us everything that we need,” he said. “We have the cash on hand. We’ve been responsibly saving for it. We can do this without taking on a single cent of debt.”