City council approved the ordinance to make the purchase Sept. 6. The purchase agreement was signed Sept. 13.

The decision to purchase the building located at 1443 Pennsylvania Ave. was based on the need for a location where workers could safely work and equipment could be stored out of the elements. The current location where the street department is housed at 1253 Pennsylvania Ave. was constructed as a trolley station in 1938 and then converted to a bus station before the street department moved there.

According to Safety Service Director David Dawson, the building has gone past its time and will be demolished. The building is slowly falling in on itself and the structure has large holes throughout the roof and most of the windows broken out or boarded up.

The location, the former site of M&A Motors, has the foundation the city is looking for so they will only need to make some modifications to it. The new location also has plenty of land for future expansion projects for the department. The property includes an approximately 14,000-square-foot building that sits on approximately 7 acres of land.

Current East Liverpool Street/Refuse Department. The city has invested in a Pennsylvania Avenue property for the department. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

The building will be used for all operations related to the repair, maintenance and storage of city vehicles and equipment.

“You have to look five to 10 years down the road for what you want to do. But, right now it’s going to be cleaned up all the way around,” Dawson said. “We will get the necessary utilities done here that needs to be done, and we will modify the inside of it so the department has places to go where we can do work on vehicles and where we can clean vehicles. Down the road, we look into what will need done. Eventually, we add it for a wash bay or more storage space.”

Dawson also noted they need to build salt bins, and add the trash compactor and fence it all in.

The front of the building will be used for dry storage: cones, signs, farm tractor, brush hog and stuff that doesn’t have to be heated. It can be stored in a closed-in area that remains dry.

The remaining portion of the building will be heated and used for office and work space.

According to Dawson, while work is set to start on the new location next month, workers won’t begin the move for another couple of months. The goal is to have the department moved in to the new location by January 2023.

The city plans to install a couple of lifts so mechanics can work on vehicles in the new facility instead of them being out for work.

“Why are we sending stuff out and paying all this money when we get mechanics in,” Dawson said. “They can do the work in-house and save money. We pay to have an oil change done, but if we had lifts, we could do it and save money.”

Dawson said the city’s goal is to hire two good mechanics and have the facilities where they work on everything that belongs to the city. He also noted they are currently looking to hire a full-time certified mechanic and a part-time mechanic that can be trained.

“It’s a great move. It’s a positive move. Since the mayor and I came in we knew something had to be done about it,” Dawson said. “So, this has been in the works since we’ve been here, but this deal has been in the works since last year.”

The building is being purchased on a lease-to-own basis, with all the money paid during the lease period being applied to the purchase price. The city is applying for a loan to pay for the building. The undetermined loan amount will also include funds for modifying the building to suit the needs of the street department.

This is a huge win for the city. The current structure is in terrible shape and once demolished is a great location to attract a new business,” Mayor Greg Bricker said.