Alderman consider replacing aging City Garage on North Barry Street

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

OLEAN — It has been nearly three decades since the City of Olean set its sights on replacing the City Garage on North Barry Street. It still stands and no replacement is in the works.

At Tuesday’s Olean Common Council meeting, City Operations Committee Chairman JR Bennion, R-Ward 1, raised the issue of the need to replace the salt shed at the City Garage site and make repairs so the public sidewalk outside the fenced site can be reopened.

The sidewalk has been closed for the past three or four years, Bennion said. The city has restricted use of the salt shed because of its poor condition. The City Garage, used for storage and maintenance of Public Works vehicles and equipment, remains in need of replacement.

If the city is considering building a new City Garage, Bennion urged consideration of a plan to build a shared facility with the Cattaraugus County Public Works Department.

Mayor Bill Aiello said when he was a member of the county legislature the Public Works Committee discussed a shared facility with the City of Olean, but decided to renovate its Seventh Street highway barn in Allegany. “It didn’t go anywhere.”

The mayor said the salt shed is in bad shape. City officials had hoped to build a new one on Front Street, but the proximity of a stream at the site slowed the process. Other sites considered included the city wastewater treatment plant and Gargoyle Park.

Bannion suggested the vacant lot next to the Olean Times Herald building as a possible site for a new City Garage and salt shed.

Alderman Vernon Robinson Jr., I-Ward 6, said the council should make replacing the salt shed a priority before next winter. The City Garage needs to be updated if it is not going to be replaced soon.

Robinson said he favored building a new City Garage and selling the downtown site to a developer.

Council President John Crawford, D-Ward 5, said a new City Garage was “an absolute necessity. We need a strategic plan.”

He said renovating the existing City Garage would cost $5 million, while building a new facility would cost between $15 million and $20 million. “We need to start looking for the money,” Crawford said.

Olean received a $500,000 Brownfield Opportunity Area grant in 2017 to redevelop the City Garage site. The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council awarded another $200,000 to help demolish the City Garage and mitigate asbestos in the building.

Aiello said he planned to meet with Olean City School officials about collaborating on maintenance and storage facility. He said he’d also speak to Community Development Director Keri Kerper about seeking grants for a new City Garage facility.

Aldermen also talked about establishing a no parking zone on the west side of York Street from the intersection of East Riverside Drive to Monroe Place. The issue will be raised again during February.

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