HOLLIDAYSBURG — Construction of a new public works administrative office and garage is “way overdue,” as the department’s current building lacks both heat and a clean space for lunch breaks, according to Hollidaysburg Public Works Director Amy Hazlett.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday morning to mark the beginning of construction on what will be the department’s new home. The project site is a lawn and parking area amidst existing buildings and grounds of the borough’s Department of Public Works on Loop Road off Route 36.

Once completed, the 2,480-square-foot building will house two garage bays, a break room, storage/utility space and offices for department staff, said Borough Manager Ethan Imhoff.

Imhoff said the department’s current office “dates back about 60 years” and has “served its purpose.”

The project was funded using American Rescue Plan money that had originally been earmarked for Gaysport’s stormwater retention pond. The pond’s price tag was projected to be about $1 million, but that number was cut in half after the borough council awarded the project to Saxton-based Krieger Excavating, which had a base bid of about $492,376 during its meeting Dec. 12, 2024.

Combined with H2O grant funding, the borough had about $650,000 it had to allocate by the end of 2024. Imhoff had told the council that the funds couldn’t just be a line item in a budget, as they had “to be under a contract.”

With that in mind, the borough recommended the Public Works project, plans for which council approved during a special meeting on Dec. 30, 2024.

“We were able to slam this project out because it wasn’t until last fall that we found out we were going to have the funding to be able to do this project,” Imhoff said. “Stiffler-McGraw worked really hard to get the plans for this project pulled together very quickly.”

Hazlett, who also works as the borough’s fire marshal, said the project “means so much to our employees.”

With 10 full-timers and an extra five to 10 helpers in the summer, Hazlett said they “try to fix it up as we can.” For example, the building’s kitchenette is outfitted with cabinets found on the streets of Hollidaysburg. A resident remodeling their kitchen had just torn out their cabinets and allowed the department to reuse them for its kitchenette.

Hazlett said the end of the building housing the offices doesn’t have heat because “it went out years ago.” The building only has one heat exchanger, she said, which is in the main garage where work is done.

“You’d have to sit at your computer in layers,” Hazlett said.

The project should be completed in about six months, in time for late fall or early winter, Hazlett said.

The construction won’t disrupt traffic in the area as Public Works employees will have access to a gate through the county garage, enabling the construction crew to work near the department’s main entrance without interference.

Once the project is completed, the department’s old office will be turned into inventory storage, so workers won’t have to worry about hauling equipment and parts up and down stairs from the building’s second floor.

“Everything will be on a nice level floor, so it’d be much more economical and efficient,” Hazlett said.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.