Mayor’s Report to City Council

March 8, 2011

The City of Lancaster provides services to our residents round-the-clock, every day of the year.  In addition to police and fire services, vital contributions to the quality life of our residents are the services provided by our Department of Public Works (DPW). 

Like Police and Fire, Public Works is a 24/7 operation. Roughly three-quarters of our Public Works employees are City residents.  This is unique among all departments of City government. 

Public Works employees clean our streets, plow our snow, mow the grounds of our parks, keep our motor vehicle fleet of police cars on the road, clean and maintain our public buildings, and make sure that our roads have working traffic signals and stop signs posted at intersections.  In other words, Public Works employees establish order where there would otherwise be chaos.  Like all of City government, our Public Works Department provides highest quality services at the lowest possible costs to taxpayers. 

Our ability to continue to provide these services in an efficient, safe, and cost-effective manner has long been hampered by the facilities that house our Public Works operation.  The largest facility, known as “Streets,” is located at the five-point intersection of New Danville Pike and South Prince Street.  The second is the “sign shop,” located behind the Fire Station on West King Street.  The third facility is the Parks Building which is located directly adjacent to the now vacant Pennsylvania National Guard site at 599 Chesapeake Street.

Our Streets building houses most of our operations.  This building is completely inadequate and in need of major repair.  The offices are dismal; building ventilation is limited; energy costs are high; and access to the location requires employees to cross dangerous streets, making coming and going to work a danger.  The roof is in such poor repair that the facility floods during heavy rains, and this flooding has led to equipment damage. Quite frankly, the facility is in such a poor condition, that I feel uncomfortable even allowing personnel to work there. 

Five years ago, we began examining the fiscal and operational benefits of consolidating our three Public Works locations.  At that time, we began negotiations with UGI to purchase their property located at Conestoga and Union Streets. Unfortunately, after several years of discussions, the City and UGI were unable to come to an agreement. Still, the goal of a more efficient, effective, consolidated DPW continued to be our objective.

As we strove to meet this goal, the workforce continued to function in three locations.  Late last year, we were advised that City-owned property that had long been “on loan” to the Pennsylvania National Guard was being returned to the City for its own use.  I’m referring to the property directly adjacent to our Parks Building on Chesapeake Street.  The availability of this location will result in the very consolidation we sought in negotiations for the far more costly purchase of and construction at the UGI property. Consolidation of Public Works operations will now require the relocation of the Streets Bureau and sign shop.

This consolidation will provide the following benefits among others:

1. Management of the work force and deployment of city owned equipment and vehicles will be greatly enhanced. Supervision of personnel and resources would result in a more cost efficient use of taxpayers’ money.

2. Building operation costs will be lower.  Heating and energy costs of the current Streets facility alone averages in excess of $50,000 per year.

3. The current Streets facility barely has sufficient “yard” space for storing road salt, construction materials, and large trucks.  Much of the yard space that we currently occupy at the Streets facility is on loan to us by PPL.  They may reclaim this yard space as they continue to upgrade and expand their electrical sub-yard adjacent to our facility.  A consolidation of Streets and Parks on Chesapeake Street will provide that space.

4. The Chesapeake Street location will allow us to expand our recycling program to better serve City residents.  Plans call for a “drop-off” facility where residents can bring cardboard, yard waste, and other recyclables not collected at curbside. 

5. Finally, as I’ve indicated, the current Streets facility is deficient and in need of several million dollars of repairs including an estimated $900,000 to replace the roof.  Even after all of these tax dollars are spent, the facility would still be inadequate and the consolidation would not be attained.

There have been some inquiries of me from other non-commercial parties who are interested in acquiring use of the Chesapeake Street property.  These inquiries have not been accompanied by an offer to purchase the property.  In response, we have indicated our intent to utilize this location that we own, that is home to facilities that we now own, that satisfies our needs to reduce operating costs, improve efficient use of staff and equipment resources, reduce capital expenditures, and improve workplace conditions.  To do otherwise would be a dereliction of my responsibilities as Mayor, and a disservice to taxpayers.