Bay City’s New DPW Site to Seek $14.5M in Bond Funds
The Bay City Department of Public Works is another step closer to moving into its new home on Marquette avenue.
Bay City commissioners have approved the beginning of work to issue nearly $14.5 Million in bonds to renovate, expand, and furnish the new DPW facility on Marquette Avenue.
Purchased in 2018 for $1.8 Million, the city has held its intent to modify it and the surrounding site to house the DPW and its functions including Streets,
Water, Sewer Maintenance, Sanitation, Parks, and Engineering services.
Commission President Jesse Dockett says the move can’t come soon enough- since sections of the current building on S. Water st. have been deemed unsafe to work in.
Dockett says while $14.5 Million sounds like a lot, the move saves anywhere from $1.5 to 6 Million more than what revamping the current building or constructing a completely new one from the ground up would cost.
Declining conditions of the decades old building along the river include issues like a sinking floor, and holes posing a falling risk leading through to the building’s basement
While the hazards may not paint a pretty picture, City manager Dana Muscott says the opening of that riverfront property may be the perfect task for developers looking to potentially transform it into a living space.
According to city documents, design efforts are nearing conclusion and subcontractors are projected to be hired in early 2022 to begin construction.