The Crestwood Board of Aldermen approved the second reading of an ordinance last week awarding a $3.7 million contract for the construction of a new Public Works facility.

Aldermen voted 7-1 April 18 to adopt the ordinance awarding the $3,703,000 design-build contract for the new Public Works facility to the Plocher Construction Co. Inc. Ward 3 Alderman Jerry Miguel was opposed.

Aldermen voted unanimously April 11 to approve the first reading of the ordinance awarding the contract to Plocher.

The new Public Works facility will be constructed at 9353 Watson Industrial Park, and will replace the city’s existing facility at 8645 Pardee Lane.

The existing Public Works facility will be demolished as part of a Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, or MSD, project on Pardee Lane designed to alleviate overflows into Gravois Creek.

The Gravois Trunk Sanitary Storage Facility Project, which could cost up to $40 million, will include the construction of two sewage storage tanks totaling 7.8 million gallons, a pump station, piping and two structures to divert wet weather flow to the pump station.

MSD is paying for the new Public Works building, which should be completed in early 2018.

The work, including the relocation of the city’s Public Works facility, will be funded through MSD Project Clear, undertaken as part of a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.

The $3.7 million contract amount for the new Public Works facility is based on Plocher’s base bid, contingencies or additional work and two alternates — three-sided covered parking for large dump trucks and equipment at a cost of $175,000, and parking for Grant’s Trail, including an Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA, ramp connection to the trail, at a cost of $58,000.

In an April 4 memorandum to City Administrator Kris Simpson, Director of Public Services James Gillam wrote that MSD has agreed to contribute $100,000 to the cost of the three-sided covered parking alternate.

For both alternates, the city’s cost will be $133,000, he wrote.

“In the capital program, there has been up to $150,000 scheduled for the replacement of the roofs at the current Public Works facility,” Gillam wrote, noting that a third alternate, three-sided covered parking for smaller vehicles and pickup trucks, “was not recommended at this time due to funding.”

At the board’s April 11 meeting, board President Grant Mabie of Ward 3 made a motion to include the three-sided covered parking for smaller vehicles and pickup trucks into the contract with Plocher.

His motion, seconded by Ward 2 Alderman Mary Stadter, was defeated with a 5-3 vote.

Besides Mabie and Stadter, Ward 1 Alderman Richard Breeding was in favor.

Opposed were Ward 1 Alderman Darryl Wallach, Ward 2 Alderman Justin Charboneau, Ward 3 Alderman Jerry Miguel and Ward 4 Aldermen Tim Anderson and Tony Kennedy.

During the board’s April 18 meeting, Miguel questioned the cost of the parking for Grant’s Trail, including the ADA ramp connection to the trail.

Noting that $58,000 “is a fair amount of money,” Miguel said, “… As I look at option C, the trail access, it appears to me that that is an option which has no immediate benefit … I see no immediate need for that public access and actually I don’t see where there would be a need within a five-year period. At any rate, that’s the way I feel about that.

“So I’m wondering if we really need that access in the plan. My thought would be to apply that to Option B, which was rejected at the first reading, but there will be an immediate benefit, in my opinion, of providing cover, a shelter, for our pickup vehicles. Now the cost difference between the two is still fairly significant. I believe the estimate for that pickup parking covered structure is $154,000, if I’m not mistaken.

“Nevertheless, to me there’s an economic benefit … for providing covered parking for our pickup vehicles. Economically I don’t know what that would come out to, but perhaps it might add a year to the life of each vehicle. If that were the case, that’s a number that would probably justify the cost of having a covered structure …,” he added.

Miguel said he would support eliminating the Grant’s Trail parking and ADA ramp connection to the trail and instead include the three-sided covered parking for smaller vehicles and pickup truck in the contract with Plocher.

Gillam cited the city’s recently adopted comprehensive plan, which includes the goals of increasing access to Grant’s Trail and enhancing the city’s bicycle and pedestrian system.

“… The parking and the trail access was put in here because it was part of the comprehensive plan. That was one of the issues that they looked at, trail parking and access at several of the streets through Watson Industrial Park,” he said.

Breeding also cited the comprehensive plan as a reason to retain the parking and ADA ramp connection to Grant’s Trail.

“We had that work session that one Saturday and we talked about, we dreamed about being a walkable city, and we talked about possibly long range doing something towards the mall, if you have that area there. I think we’re going against our own goals of being a walkable city and taking advantage of that feature, Grant’s Trail, by just not putting that path towards there,” he said. “I think it’s sending the wrong message. I can think of all the uses right away for a path like that.

“But for us to not take advantage of that and go against our own goals and dreams, it’s sending the wrong message …”

Miguel later made a motion to remove the parking for Grant’s Trail, including the ADA ramp connection to the trail, from the contract with Plocher.

However, Miguel’s motion died for lack of a second.

Crestwood and MSD officials last fall announced the project on Pardee Lane, including the relocation of the Public Works facility.

“During rain events, sewage will be pumped to the storage tanks, thus preventing sewage backups into basements, overflows into Gravois Creek and overloading of downstream sewers,” according to information provided by the sewer district. “After each rain event, the sewage will be released back into the sewer system when capacity is available. Treatment is provided at the Lemay Wastewater Treatment Plant.”