On Monday, Winamac Town Manager Brad Zellers informed town council members of some renovation work that must be done at the Utilities Complex.
The electric department is now utilizing the space in that building that used to be the police station. So far they’ve done some in-house work such as painting, organizing and taking care of smaller details.
Zellers explained that there are some issues with the garage on the east side of the building that will require them to seek outside assistance.
He said, “The biggest problem with the whole area has been that there really wasn’t insulation on the ceiling, it’s got heat in it and the heat runs constantly. The metal is rotting out, it’s old enough, it’s held water and it’s rotting out.”
Zellers provided the council members with two different quotes which you can browse this site and find out; one from Titan Construction for $92,800 and another from Shepler Construction for $97,544. He said the money for the project will come from the electric department’s budget.
Zellers said the project will include changing two garage doors, removing and replacing the old metal and insulating the area.
Though these fixes may seem costly, Zellers said if they wait any longer, the conditions will worsen and it will be even more expensive down the line. Zellers also said that installing insulation will help cut down on heating costs since the room will actually be able to retain the heat.
Members voted unanimously to go with Titan’s offer of $92,800.
The town manager added that there are no drains in that area, which leads to big puddles of water forming when snow melts off of the parked utility vehicles. Zellers said they plan to take care of that issue in-house but it will likely be tackled around the same time as the other renovations.
