We're On The Move!
Published: 3/19/2004
Over the next few weeks and months you will begin to see a number of changes related to town facilities and services. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with an update and a schedule for these activities.
New Library
We have completed our negotiations for the two additional properties we needed to acquire as part of our Library improvement project. We are pleased that these were very amicable and reasonable negotiations. It appears that we will be able to take possession of both buildings by the middle of April.
The Library project itself has now moved from the plan development phase into the bidding process. The first set of bids for demolition work and pre-cast concrete structural items have been accepted and should be awarded at the Town Board meeting on Tuesday, April 6. As we expected, there was a high level of interest from bidders. We are pleased that we ended up with quality contractors whose bids were below estimate.
On April 6, we will also be setting bid-opening dates for the balance of the project including General Contract, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC). We expect that these bids will be opened by mid May.
Demolition of the buildings will take place in May and June of this year followed by site improvements necessary for construction of the new building. In August the building structure, which will be pre-cast concrete will begin to go up and should be in place within a three-week period. Upon the completion of that work, the exterior of the building will be intact including the masonry work, windows, doors, roof, etc. It is anticipated that this work will be finished by Thanksgiving allowing contractors to focus on interior work during the winter months.
I am completely amazed that the whole structural frame of this building will go up in a three-week period. When we were in the early phases of design, it was decided that pre-cast concrete was the better way to go since it could be manufactured and erected faster than steel. At the time it was felt pre-cast concrete would be a little more expensive but more effective because we could have the building enclosed by winter. Today we know that this was a very wise decision since there is now a steel shortage that is affecting both project budgets due to the increased cost of steel as well as project timelines as delivery delays of six months to a year are not uncommon.
We are still on track to open the new Library in September of 2005.
Temporary Library
While we are in construction, the Library will be temporarily located at 3750 Monroe Avenue on the east side of the building. If you are not familiar, this is the building located at the traffic light between the Village and French Road.
The Pittsford Community Library will be closed April 9 - 25 and will re-open on Monday, April 26 at 3750 Monroe Avenue. Our phone number will remain (585) 248-6275. During the period of closing, rules for borrowing and returning materials will be modified. You can use this link to see the adjustments.
Senior Center
On Tuesday, April 30, we will open the new Senior Center that will be located at 3750 Monroe Avenue on the west side of the building. I am most pleased about the opening of this facility since we will no longer be one of the only towns in Monroe County to not provide this service for their senior residents.
The discussion of providing a Senior Center started over ten years ago. I promised the seniors I would deliver for them and I know they were frustrated with the long delay. I do believe that when they see the new Senior Center they will be thrilled with their new home.
The Senior Center will allow us to provide improved services to our seniors. Currently the seniors have an office at the Spiegel Community Center but their programs are scattered about at various locations. This will allow us to focus the programs and services in one place. It will also allow us to provide seniors with an opportunity to drop by the Center to maintain social interactions with their peers.
If you would like to see the new Senior Center, there will be a general Open House held on Saturday, April 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please feel free to stop in and see this wonderful new facility.
Town Court
The Town Court is being relocated to make room for the new Library. The new Court will also be located at 3750 Monroe Avenue on the east side of the building. This site provides us with a good long-term solution for the Court while retaining its central location in our community.
The new building will provide a much more efficient setup for the Court and all those who use it. Modern design of courts addresses the need for the interactions and the separations needed for the various components. Judges and juries need to be separated from those on whom they will be ruling. Attorneys need the ability to have confidential meetings with their clients. People on the court docket need to be able to know when their case will be heard and be able to hear when they are called.
The design we have come up with addresses these issues. We are confident that this space will be able to be functional now and for many years to come.
To accommodate the move the last day of Court in the existing facility will be April 8. The Court offices will be closed from Thursday April 15 to Tuesday April 20. We will be holding a dedication ceremony on April 21 and the first court date will be on Thursday April 22.
There are a tremendous number of people involved in all of these activities. The level of detail in these moves is tremendous and I am proud of my staff for their commitment to making these moves as efficient as possible so we can get our services reopened as soon as possible. I would also like to thank you for bearing with us through these periods and I am sure you will be proud of our new facilities.
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