Public Works Committee Meeting – April 15, 2026: Capital Projects Review
Public Works Committee Meeting – April 15, 2026
The Public Works Committee met on April 15, 2026, to consider Bill 29, which appropriates $50,000 for certain public works capital projects. The discussion focused on four capital improvement projects approved in the 2026 budget: Canal Street Bridge design, salt dome replacement, roof replacements at the Bridgeworks facility and Central Fire Station, and a variable air volume (VAV) HVAC upgrade at City Hall. The committee voted unanimously to recommend Bill 29 favorably to the full City Council.
Discussion Items
- Canal Street Bridge Design ($250,000): The bridge, built in 1940, has structural deficiencies and is reduced to one lane. The $250,000 will fund design work expected to take one year, with construction anticipated in early 2027. No grant opportunities were currently available, but the completed design will make the project eligible for future grants. Council members asked about the bridge's condition and the lack of current grants.
- Salt Dome Replacement ($800,000): The existing 60-year-old salt dome has structural issues and a capacity of 3,000 tons. The proposed replacement will double capacity to 6,000 tons, allowing the city to purchase the entire winter supply at a lower rate ($90.64/ton) compared to emergency purchases ($150/ton). The $800,000 covers design, demolition, and construction. Council members inquired about cost savings and the allocation covering design and construction.
- Roof Replacements ($1,000,000): Two roofs—at the Bridgeworks facility and Central Fire Station—are in disrepair, causing significant water intrusion. The Bridgeworks roof is prioritized due to its larger size and more severe leaks. The $1 million will cover both replacements via an RFP process. A council member noted past temporary repairs and asked about prior spending, which the presenter did not have on hand.
- VAV HVAC Project ($3,000,000): This is the final component of upgrading City Hall’s HVAC system, allowing temperature regulation on each floor. Major components (air handlers, chiller, boiler) were replaced in the last three years. The new police station will have its own independent system. Council members discussed energy efficiency cost savings and potential coordination with the future police station’s systems. The presenter noted the recent loss of the facilities manager and that interviews for a replacement are underway.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted (all in favor) to recommend Bill 29 favorably to the full City Council. The bill is described as appropriating $50,000 for public works capital projects, though the specific projects discussed total over $5 million in appropriations. The discrepancy between the bill’s stated amount and the project costs was not addressed in the meeting.
- The committee took no other formal votes.
- There were no public comments.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. We're ready. Welcome to the public works committee. And we have, oh, and by the way, all our members are here. All the committee members are here. Mr. Hanlin, we have Bill 29. Bill 29. $50,000 to find certain public works capital projects. Okay. Good evening. Good evening, Vice President Moda. Good evening, City Council. So what you have before you this evening are four capital improvement projects that were approved as part of the 2026 budget. So what we're doing this evening is we're coming before council and appropriating the funding and get it into the correct expense accounts so we could start doing work on these projects. One of the projects that you could see here that we're undertaking this year is the Canal Street Bridge that's currently at the entrance to Canal Park. So the bridge deck there is compromised and it's there's weight restrictions, it's reduced to one lane of travel. This bridge here is 86 years old. It was built in 1940. So with all the structural deficiencies that we're having with this bridge, uh we're requesting funding this year to do a design. Once the design is completed, then we're going to be putting this project out to bid for construction. I know that we have to put this out to bid, but um do you have sort of like um uh do you happen to know how much you know around the range? How much will this be? Yes, so the for for this for the um did this the design work is 250,000, uh, which we're expecting an entire year of design work, so we won't begin construction until roughly the first quarter of 2027. So we'll have to come back before council once the design is completed to request the funding to complete the construction. Can you tell me what happened with this bridge? It's just uh over the years. It it took a beating, it's old, it's 86 years old. Um there's wear and tear with any bridge or roadway that we have within our city limits, and it's just at a point in time where it's just past its its life expectancy, and it's it's time for replacement. So people can um the cars cannot pass uh through that bridge at all? They can, but it's reduced to a single lane of travel. The area to the right there where it's the area that's closed off is is where we're having the most issues with the with the bridge decking. So what we did temporarily was we blocked off that area to preserve the bridge as long as we can, but we're at a point now where the bridge just has to be replaced. Okay, thank you. You're welcome. Well, we'll be the second. I did have a question about this one here. So given you know the state of bridges in Pennsylvania, it's a kind of universal issue around here. Where any like grants looked at for potential bridge or bridge replacement costs at all, or is there any way that the any of this is covered through outside sources? We did look into it and there was currently no grant opportunities out there. Uh but we before we get into the construction, we're gonna take a look another look just to make sure at least cover the construction component of it. Uh but the 250,000 dollars is is just an estimate to get the design done. Once the design is completed, then we'll pretty we'll have a project that's shovel ready and it'll qualify and become eligible for additional grant funding, future grant funding. Awesome. Thank you. Okay, so do we have any comments then? Um from the Dais. Do we have any comments from all of us or just no? Just that. I guess we're gonna go one by one then.
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