Greenwood’s Department of Public Works needs more space as the city’s growth continues to strain its infrastructure, city officials said.
Architects are wrapping up design of a new 50,000 square-foot public works building that will serve as an addition to the current building on South Washington Street, said Kevin Steinmetz, Greenwood’s capital projects manager.
The department is in charge of street maintenance, including signals and lights, as well as garbage and snow removal and has to store equipment such as traffic cones, plows and tree removal machinery.
Construction will begin in the spring after a contractor is hired later this year. The project is expected to cost somewhere between $7.5 million and $13.5 million.
The new facility will be built on the southeast side of Craig Park, where two softball fields are located. It will take up about 40 acres of land, which the Parks Department has already approved. The Parks Department will use the excess dirt from the construction to build an improvised, natural-looking meadows and amphitheater between the two buildings, Steinmetz said.
The city looked at several different options when officials began considering expanding the department, including building a new, 70,000- to 80,000-square-foot facility in an undeveloped area outside of town, he said.
“A smaller building reduces the cost. It tucks back into a good corner and has the least amount of impact on residents. So that’s our rationale for putting it there,” Steinmetz said.
“It will be an entirely new building. But it will complement the other building that is already there.”
The current facility was built in the mid-1980’s and is about 25,000 square feet after being expanded through the years.
“It was constructed when Greenwood was about half the size that it is now,” Steinmetz said. “The current building is bursting at the seams. We aren’t even able to store all of our assets inside. They rely a lot on the parks department for space.”
The new facility will serve as the primary DPW building. But the city will preserve the old building and continue to use it.
