Ribbon Cutting Thursday, Followed by Open House Saturday

NEW LISBON—A ceremonial ribbon cutting will be held for the new Town of New Lisbon highway garage on Thursday, December 14 at 12:30 p.m. The town broke ground on the site on April 3 and, as of this week’s ribbon cutting, the facility is ready for use. In addition to the ribbon cutting, an open house is scheduled for Saturday, December 16 from 9 a.m. to noon for those who would like to tour the new garage.

“The town has needed a new garage for a long time,” said Town Highway Superintendent Don Smith. “The guys and I can’t wait to get into this new building, where we’ll have adequate space for storing and servicing our trucks and equipment comfortably and, most importantly, safely,” he added.

According to a press release, the new garage is 9,800 square feet and has five bays, with areas for parking and servicing the town’s trucks and equipment, work space, and an office area. Construction was made possible with $2.7 million in grants and loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development, with additional funds provided by the town and by Otsego County. The previous garage—which is more than 50 years old, in poor condition, and inadequate for today’s highway trucks and equipment—will be refitted for alternative uses that will not require heating.
In a statement, Town Supervisor Ed Lentz called this “a huge and at times overwhelming project for a small town like New Lisbon.”

“Because we had great partners in the USDA and Delaware Engineering, and outstanding contractors in Upstate Companies and S&H Mechanical, we were able to get the job done on schedule, within budget, and with minimal impact on real property taxes,” Lentz said.
After preliminary sketches and plans were developed in 2021, the town held numerous public meetings to discuss and to refine the project, leading to a referendum in November 2021 in which a majority of voters approved the project. Following completion of the site, and feasibility and environmental studies in the first half of 2022, the project was put out to bid. Bids were awarded in August 2022.

The lead engineer on the project is Bill Brown of Delaware Engineering in Oneonta. Upstate Companies LLC of Mt. Upton is the general and electrical contractor. S&H Mechanicals Inc. of Cincinnatus is the plumbing and HVAC contractor.

Town, county, state and federal officials are expected to be among those in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Members of the public are invited.