Limerick Authorizes Bid to Design $2 Million Public Works Building

The Limerick Township Board of Supervisors authorized  $51,000 bid for Gorski Engineering to begin the design process of a new public works building for the township, which is expected to cost roughly $2 million and be erected by next summer.

According to Limerick Township manager Daniel Kerr, the new building will a 20,000 square-foot prefabricated space that will be rebuilt in the area of the currently public works facility.

“We believe 20K will serve this community very well for a lot of years,” Kerr said.

According to Kerr, the public works department in the township has outgrown its facility, including space to store the equipment that has been purchased over the years

“We invest in equipment, training, expertise so we can do the work in-house, and we need a building to store this in so we can continue doing this for the community, Kerr said.

This tactic has saved the township thousands of dollars, according to Kerr, who cited a Trinley Road project during which the public works crew reconstructed a massive culvert instead of bidding out the work, saving the township between $60,000-$70,000.

Township supervisors added that it was time to invest in the public works department and its 15 full-time employees; currently there are small offices where parts are stored, and a small room that serves as a kitchen, break room and locker room for employees.

“We want to build a proper facility where there are bunk rooms, showers, so that they can do what they need to do,” Kerr said. “We renovated the township building, the police station, and it’s time for these guys to enjoy a modern facility that they deserve.”

Kerr hopes to send the project out to bid by the spring and have the new building erected in time for the winter of 2014.  During construction, public works will be housed in the Township Building and equipment will be stored throughout the township.