The Town of New Lisbon will be able to move into their new Town Garage after a ribbon cutting on December 14, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. 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. (Submitted photo)

NEW LISBON - The Town of New Lisbon announced today that a ceremonial ribbon cutting for their new Town Highway Garage will be held on December 14, 2023 at 12:30pm. The garage, for which ground was broken on April 3, 2023, will then be ready for occupancy.

The garage is located at 809 County Highway 16 in Garrattsville. Town, county, state, and federal officials are expected to be among those in attendance. Members of the public are invited.

In addition to the ribbon cutting, an open house is scheduled for Saturday, December 16, from 9:00 to noon for anyone 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.

The new garage is 9,800 square feet and has 5 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 United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development, with additional funds being provided directly by the town and by Otsego County. The previous garage, which is over 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.

Town Supervisor Ed Lentz called this "a huge and at times overwhelming project for a small town like New Lisbon." He added, "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."

After preliminary sketches and plans were developed in 2021, the town held numerous well-attended public meetings to discuss and to refine the project, leading to to a referendum in November 2021 in which a majority of voters approved the project. Following completion of site, feasibility and environmental studies in the first half of 2022, the project was put out for bid and bids were awarded in August 2022. Ground was broken in April 2023 and the garage will be ready for occupancy this month.

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.

- Information from the Town of New Lisbon