Dec 8, 2023 By Mike Jones 4 min read

Crammed into a small garage in the corner of its borough building sits East Washington’s public works department. But with so little room to operate and only enough room to park two work trucks, expensive equipment such as salt spreaders and leaf machines are left outside in the weather.

The council is trying to rectify that problem by searching for a new location to house its public works department that would offer more room now with a chance to expand in the future.

“We hope to consolidate all of our public works space in one location and be able to store all of our vehicles so they’re out of the elements,” council President Maryann Weinstein said.

Council voted 6-1 at its Nov. 20 meeting to make a formal offer of $53,000 to purchase an unoccupied warehouse at 0 Hemlock Lane in the borough that once was an industrial dry-cleaning facility. The offer was submitted Nov. 29, and borough officials are still awaiting a response from the sellers and their real estate agent.

The sprawling building situated on nearly a half-acre of land along the alley at the southern edge of the borough would be an ideal place to store public works trucks and equipment, according to Mayor Demond Nixon. He said the indoor space of the warehouse would give the public works crew more room to work and allow the borough to keep its new and expensive equipment under cover.

“The reality of it, we’re a really small borough and … if we’re going to spend funds, let’s not spend it on deteriorating vehicles and maintaining vehicles,” Nixon said. “We’ve got these new vehicles, let’s take care of them.”

In addition, the new location would allow the borough to move its two police cars into the garage attached to the municipal building that currently houses the public works trucks. That would give the police department more space and keep its vehicles in better working condition.

“They’re in good shape and we would like to keep them that way as long as possible,” Nixon said.

“It’s basically an opportunity to consolidate all of the public works into one location and be able to store all of our equipment under cover so it’s not out in inclement weather,” Weinstein added.

Borough officials toured the facility in September as they began expressing interest in the property. The council later formed a committee to study the matter and commissioned a report estimating the cost for upgrades and the potential pitfalls that could be associated with the property

There are some concerns about the property, such as whether the surrounding soil is contaminated as sometimes happens with dry-cleaning facilities, according to the study. The structure was built in 1952, so the age of the building and the cost to update it – which is estimated to be nearly $140,000 – is also a factor in the council’s offer. The offer is contingent upon passing an environmental study looking for soil contamination.

All of this could be a moot point if the offer is rejected. According to the borough, the property was originally listed for $315,000 when it was put on the market in May, although the asking price dropped to $295,000 in July. The seller’s real estate agent, Bonnie Loya, did not return phone calls seeking comment on the property listing and proposal from the borough.

“They know we’re interested in the property, but that’s as far as it’s gone,” Weinstein said. “We’re waiting to hear back from them if they want to counter or not. We’re just waiting for them to respond.”

Regardless, the council appears to be mostly behind the project, with only Mumbi Mundia-Howe voting against the proposal. It’s not known if the council would seek out other locations if negotiations with the owners of the Hemlock Lane property fall through.

While Nixon as mayor doesn’t have a vote, he approves of the project to move the public works department out of the borough building, especially since it will help the police department that he supervises.

“I support the council’s offer. I think it absolutely makes sense,” Nixon said.