The city of Brexville will renovate or completely replace its aging maintenance garage. (Bob Sandric, cleveland.com special issue)

Blakesville, Ohio — The city will decide in 2022 whether to renovate and expand its service department garage, or demolish the building and start over.

Service director Ron Weidig said that the existing service garage behind the city hall is no longer sufficient to accommodate some updated equipment and vehicles.

"The original service garage (behind the town hall) was built in the 1950s and has been added three times," Wedig said in an email to cleveland.com.

"The machine room needs to be lengthened to accommodate the newer equipment, and the garage door needs to be raised."

Weidig stated that the electric vehicles that the city may purchase in the future contain very heavy batteries. The city will need elevators to remove batteries for maintenance.

"In addition, as the number of staff has increased over the years, more bathrooms and larger dressing rooms are needed," Weidig said. "The restaurant and the front desk also need to be upgraded."

The city has hired Makovich and Pusti Architects Inc. in Berea to evaluate the reconstruction, expansion and demolition and reconstruction plans and provide cost estimates. The city will pay the company between US$26,200 and US$28,700.

Weidig said: "We believe that it is important to analyze existing buildings and compare them with new buildings and determine the most cost-effective and efficient way forward."

The City Council approved the contract with Makovich and Pusti in September. Weidig said the company will submit its findings to the board of directors sometime next year. Construction may take place in 2023.

"It all depends on the approval and funding of the city council," Wedig said.

Weidig said that the city's 2021 budget includes retrofitting service garages and machinery rooms. However, when the architect visited the site earlier this year and was informed of the needs of the service garage now and in the next few years, a second option was introduced to build a new service garage on the same site.

According to the scope of work document Makovich and Pusti submitted to the city in August, the repair garage renovation will include:

· Lengthen the building by 14 feet along the five bays

· Replace the five elevated doors so that they are 14 feet tall instead of 12 feet tall

· Raise the roof to increase the internal height and accommodate taller doors

· Provide a new roof, including insulation and ventilation

· Install a new ventilation system

· Add hoisting type or hoist

· Replace all lights with LED lighting

· Expand restaurants, changing rooms and toilets, and provide facilities for female workers

· Expansion of the foreman's office

· Consider installing a new fire alarm and sprinkler system.

The second option, a new state-of-the-art building, will provide the same functions as the renovation.

Both renovation and reconstruction involve the temporary transfer of the operation of the maintenance garage to another location.

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