Brackenridge moves forward with new, $1.1 million public works facility

A new public works facility will be taking shape in Brackenridge now that a $1.1 million contract has been awarded.

Brackenridge officials expect the new building to be a significant upgrade and provide modern working conditions for its road crew that currently works at a building that dates to 1900.

“We’ve been working on this for years,” council President Tim Connelly previously said.

Taxpayers will be spared much of the cost, with the project largely paid for through grants the borough received over several years of planning.

Amenities such as equipment storage, office and kitchen spaces for employees, and a generator will be paid for with a $500,000 state grant.

The borough also secured $200,000 from the Allegheny County Gaming Economic Development Fund and $100,000 through the county’s Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund, leaving about $300,000 to be covered by the borough.

The contract was awarded to Masco Construction of McMurray.

Borough Secretary Denise Tocco said specifications were whittled somewhat as costs kept rising since the idea first got off the ground.

When the project was pitched pre-pandemic, costs were expected to be about $900,000.

As a result, Senate Engineering removed some of the utility work and landscaping from the drawings, Tocco said.

No one at Senate Engineering was immediately available to discuss plans.

There is no start date for construction.

“We’re waiting to hear back from the contractor,” Tocco said.

The new garage will be near the existing one along Prospect Street, in the same neighborhood where the water treatment plant is.

The current building, which was the original pump house, will be demolished when construction on the new facility is complete.