Trustees to Vote on New Public Works Building

Whitefish Bay could have a new public works building by year's end, if trustees are comfortable with the price tag presented to them at the next Village Board meeting.

Currently, the Whitefish Bay Public Works Department operates out of a nearly 100-year-old building at 5055 Lydell Avenue, which costs the village $276,000 per year in rent, utilities and taxes to the City of Glendale. 

To make the transition from renter to owner, Village Manager Patrick DeGrave has proposed Whitefish Bay build its own public works building across the street, on the site of a makeshift soccer field and deteriorating parking lot.

Trustees originally rejected the idea of a new building last year when the cost estimate was $4.1 million. The board later contracted consultants to see if a new DPW building could be financed for the same amount the village pays in rent.

Based on current interest rates, DeGrave said the village could spend $3 million on a new building without increasing taxes. As currently designed, the proposed 40,000-square-foot building and 31-stall parking lot at the southeast corner of Fairmount and Lydell avenues is slightly over budget – with a cost estimate of roughly $3.5 million.

At a Village Board meeting Monday night, DeGrave outlined several financial strategies that could be used to make the current building design feasible without raising taxes. He also said trustees will have a more specific cost estimate at the May 20 meeting, when trustees will be asked whether they plan to move forward or hold off on the project.

If the board decides to move forward, construction would begin on July 15, and the building would be ready for occupancy by December 2013.