New Public Works Building

The recent Victoria City Council meeting was held in the new Public Works facility on Bavaria Road because the new City Hall wasn’t quite ready on Monday evening, January 26th, 2015.

The place is huge, clean, and uncluttered.  Ann Mahnke, Victoria Parks and Public Works Director, hosted the occasion.  Then she took time to answer questions for me.  Why is the ceiling so high?  Said Ann, “It allows for the mezzanine and we can have the dump boxes up on the large plow trucks and they won’t hit the ceiling.”

Size of the building is 16,400 square feet.  The salt shed is still at the old site on Stieger Lake Lane, a couple miles distant, but will probably be moved to the new site in the near future.  With the old building being used for cold storage, all equipment will now be housed inside a building.

Councilmembers Jim Crowley, left, and Tom Strigel explore the Mezzanine.  Said Ann, “The furnace to heat the break room, office area, locker rooms, and restrooms is located up on the mezzanine.”

What is especially appreciated in the new building?  Said Ann, “The larger space allows for a more efficient and safer operation of our daily work.”

Did you say the building houses all of the Public Works Equipment, even the snowplows?  Replied Ann, “The building houses a lot of our equipment but not all of it.  We will be switching seasonal equipment to the old building as needed.  For example, plows will be moved to the old building in the summer, and mowers will be moved to the new building in the summer.”

Said Ann about the built-in crane, “The crane is used for lifting and lowering heavy equipment/materials and also moves them horizontally.  For example, we will use the crane for putting on and taking off plows on the large trucks.”

The in-floor heat is the only source of heat in the garage space of the building.  It was warm and comfortable in the new facility the night of the city council meeting — warmer than back in the Hall and also much easier to hear voices, even without miles of cords across the floor to microphones.

How did they end up with a U.S. flag in the building?  “We had the flag in storage.”

Council begins each meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance before getting down to business.  Left to right, Joe Pavelko, Tom Strigel, Mayor Tom O’Connor, Jim Crowley, Lani Basa.”

Said Ann,  “We are planning to have an Open House in conjunction with the Fire Dept’s Open House this fall.  We will have the building available for tours but we don’t have all the logistics finalized.”

Editor Sue