August 1, 2008

Officials eyeing $12 million project at City Yard

The city is eyeing a $12 million overhaul of the City Yard to improve efficiency and protect municipal vehicles and equipment better.
As part of the project, officials are also exploring the possibility of consolidating all of the vehicle maintenance for every municipal department and the school system at the revamped facility.
Mayor Art Ward said it “would be foolish” to spend millions to update the aging public works yard without incorporating the parks, schools, police, fire and other departments under the same roof.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said he has long “been a proponent of consolidating that maintenance function” in a single location.
A consultant has developed four options for reconfiguring the City Yard, which he said is currently laid out inefficiently and relies on a main building that is “quite dilapidated.”
A proposed master plan would move the fueling station, add more maintenance bays, add offices and storage areas and include more places for vehicles to park under cover to lengthen their lifespan, said Tom Arcari, a principal in the Farmington-based Quisenberry Arcari Associates.
The option pushed by Arcari would include a new entrance, a new employee parking lot on the north side of Vincent P. Kelly Road, more administrative space and a host of improvements to the storage and maintenance functions that are the heart of the operation.
“We’re trying to create a new image for the facility,” he said.
Arcari said the city doesn’t have to do the whole project at once. It can be divided into phases so that taxpayers don’t have to fork over the entire amount in one year.
Pulling all of the city’s maintenance on vehicles into one place would obviously require more space, officials said.
“Now is the time” to make that decision, said George Wallace, the assistant public works director.
The Public Works Board recently unanimously called for the consultant to move forward on the assumption that other departments will also be using the revamped yard.
If that happens, the most visible change for residents might be the closure of the Park Department’s small garage at Rockwell Park, which could be razed, officials said.
One key element in the redesign so far is the creation of a new fueling station on the west end of the yard, where vehicles could easily pull and refill at a lighted station with video cameras recording exactly who’s using it, officials said.
Arcari, who helped redesign New Britain’s yard, said the existing fuel depot “is in a horrible location” and needs to be moved to improve efficiency.
Besides, he said, the underground tanks it uses are slated for replacement in seven years anyway.
Moving the fuel station would make drive-through bays possible for a far more modern maintenance system, he said.
An overhaul of the salt storage shed is also needed, Arcari said.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is Ward serious?

Where is Cockayne on THIS issue?

And they won't spend money on schools: no wonder we have the image we do.

Anonymous said...

Hey while we are at it, why now move city hall down here it belongs...right near the dump!
Spend, spend, spend. Meanwhile people can't afford to drive to work, have no decent housing, cant afford food and cant heat their homes this winter. Nice

Anonymous said...

What is the return on investment?

How may jobs will the consolidation delete?

What is the savings to the taxpayer?

Tell me why the city should spend the money?

Will the other properties be sold off?


“We’re trying to create a new image for the facility,” WTF!!! It is a garage, out of the main flow of traffic, who the hell cares what it looks like.

Anonymous said...

This will be a 20 million dollar project before long.

Money for Public Works, millions for Rockwell, $300,000 (maybe more) for a COO, but no money for schools.

I do not understand the rationale or lack thereof.

Anonymous said...

Little Artie gets to play with his toy trucks again.

Anonymous said...

talk about mealy mouths, school monies have nothing to do with this project and it is only a report of a study at this point. I doubt that anyone would think seriously about spending this kind of money today.

Anonymous said...

Should have listened to Stortz and explored Chic Miller as a PWKS site: as a second PWKS site as well as for the PWKS Department.

Would have cleaned u[ the area, and freed up space in city hall and would have been cheaper!!!

Anonymous said...

Art will not spend 70,000 to help poor sick people. But 12,000,000 so they can have covers over the cars to make them last longer. Must be cars are more important to foreWard then sick people

Anonymous said...

4:17

City would have to pony up about 30% of the school dollars, about 35-40 million.

On top of the 12-20 for the garage.

Anonymous said...

Artie needs to go to the AL and think about this stupid idea for spending more money. Who ever would think Artie could even think of such a dumb suggestion. How about the need for supplies for the shelters no money for that right? Artie get real.

Anonymous said...

Well, if this is only the study report than the press ain't doing mayor Ward any favors. I bet the Republicans are clipping headlines for nexct summer's brochures and the VNA people must be getting even more angry.

Anonymous said...

Why would anyone ever listen to Storts?

Anonymous said...

Don't worry Mize and Klocko will submarine it.

Anonymous said...

Do we really need covered parking for the City's dump trucks?

Anonymous said...

This proposal is a joke.

Live with what you (DPW) have and live within OUR (the taxpayers) means.

Anonymous said...

The reasons given are even less compelling then the mere fact that we can not afford this. The COO would never have put this forth atthis time. This is Democrat-Union pay back at it's worse.
#12 Million is a few mills folks. But the earlier poster got it right. The BOF will kill this deal faster then you can say "Arty are you drinking again"!

Anonymous said...

Ward blasted Zoppo when she came in with a huge budget request NOW Ward wants a $12 million overhaul - talk about speaking out of both sides of your mouth. Taking care of the good-ole boys again Art?

Anonymous said...

This will go the way of Wards Fire House renovation proposal.

POOR PLANNING on his part.

Anonymous said...

The Fire Station renovation on Chippens Hill is moving ahead (forWARD!).

Anonymous said...

I know we can not keep not spending, but this is ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Stortz wasn't so bad after all.

Anonymous said...

Is it going to be named the Art Ward Facility?

Anonymous said...

The other PW budget increase was cuz the dept hadn't gotten adequate funding to do the stuff it needed to do on a daily basis - trucks weren't being replaced on the rotation schedule, one actually got condemned when it was pulled over by the PD, and other issues were falling way behind like street paving and stuff. There were not any huge projects.

Anonymous said...

Stortz, you where the worst mayor our city has ever seen. We are all hoping you run again so we can show how much your not wanted!!

Anonymous said...

2:06

HE wanted to do ALL five!!!

Anonymous said...

So they want to spend $12 mil+ to shelter dump trucks, but ZERO dollars to help make sure the elderly and poor citizens have food and shelter? Where are your priorities?....not to mention ethics and morals!

Anonymous said...

Stortz, with the help of Zoppo, started to properly fund Public Works.

But they still had a way to go.

Unfortunately, this trend has been reversed under Ward.

Anonymous said...

The only reasons to do this project would be to save money, cut costs and be more efficient. If this project doesn't do this it should not go forward.

Anonymous said...

And who was the city councilman that ran Public Works for years, until Stortz deposed him?

Anonymous said...

~ Once again, damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

Anonymous said...

"Public Works Director Walter Veselka said he has long 'been a proponent of consolidating that maintenance function'".

I can't believe that arrogant dunce can complete that entire sentence.

Get rid of this guy NOW!

Anonymous said...

Did they ever hire a consultant to design a "plan" who did NOT recommend spending millions and millions for new construction projects?

So where's Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C?

Or did we just get the "take-it-or -leave-it", no other options
"The El Solo Model:
Grande-Supersized-Jumbo- Mother of All Garages - Yard\Dump Project?

People are wailing about fuel costs and heating costs, worried about losing their homes or jobs, and these leaders are concerned about putting a roof over the garbage trucks!
Better that they stick to fixing the pot holes.

Anonymous said...

Is Steve on vacation? No new stories since 8-1....

Anonymous said...

Wait, Ward will now come out against it and tell you how much money he saved you.

Who says he isn't thinking???

Anonymous said...

Ho Hum just more of the Republicant's "rants" !!

Anonymous said...

stortz and zoppo whored out the public works department and their budget increases are still costing bristol taxpayers a bundle - check it out, proof is in the budgets.

Anonymous said...

Storts and Zoppo put money into Public Works because Nicastro and Ward didn't (except to take care of their friends).

Zoppo and Storts had to play catch up: we are still behind on road repaving, strorm drains and flood control.

Weare still behind in other maintenance areas, again thanks to the shortsightedness of Ward and Nicastro.

Anonymous said...

thank God for Stortz and Zoppo, and the unions.

Anonymous said...

Either Zoppo or Stortz would have been better than the two choices that we had last November!

Anonymous said...

9:12pm - thanks for your opinion craig - fortunately, no one puts any credibility on your opinion.

Anonymous said...

That's okay 6:00 AM, give Craig 5 minutes ~ he'll change his mind.

Anonymous said...

Man are you bent out of shape that Minor changed his mind (not allowed in Bristol politics?) and voted for the Scalia site. What are you, a Park Street slumlord who was hoping for a windfall profit?

Anonymous said...

August 12, 2008 12:49 PM:

Hey Ms. Cluless, slum lords are making money thanks to big spending liberals like you, via section 8 entitlements.

PS: The poor minorities like new schools just as much as the pseudo-yuppies.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mr. Slumlord, Section 8 was invented by that big spending liberal Richard Nixon.

Anonymous said...

12:49 - no craig, I am not a park street slumlord hoping for a windfall profit - I am a voter with a conscious who despises politicians, such as you, who don't have a conscious.

Anonymous said...

I can see it all now: the Art Ward Public Works Yard, A Frank Nicastro School.

Who else?