Edison Mayor Tom Lankey, left, and other township officials receive a tour of the new public works facility at the former Camp Kilmer property on April 23. FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI Months after a fire destroyed the maintenance garage at the public works headquarters, Edison officials have unveiled a new building designed to allow sanitation and maintenance workers to do their jobs more efficiently.
Mayor Tom Lankey said officials are proud of the new state-of-the-art building on Truman Drive, off Kilmer Road.
“We are very happy with this building, especially with its infrastructure. Buildings around Edison are aging, and this one is in better condition, so it allows mechanics to work on vehicles outside and inside,” Lankey said.
Located at the former Camp Kilmer site, the building was previously a maintenance facility for the U.S. Army. It has been vacant for the past five years, according to Peter Bartos, foreman of vehicle maintenance and a 30- year employee of the Public Works Department.
The new fleet-maintenance facility opened nearly three months after the Jan. 29 fire that destroyed the garage, including a tire and sign shop at the township’s 745 New Durham Road site.
The fire consumed the maintenance garage, destroying 11 salt spreaders with attached snowplows, three street sweepers, three repaving vehicles, a road maintenance truck and a firetruck that was awaiting repairs, according to township officials.
“The fire happened during one of our toughest winter seasons, but I believe that everyone pulled through,” Bartos said. “We got help from Woodbridge Township and the county as far as the equipment we lost. I was mainly worried about the tools for the mechanics and the tires, since they are one of our biggest expenses.” To help ensure that a fire does not break out at the new facility, the entire building is covered by a sprinkler system, and flammable items will be stored outside in a separate building, Bartos said.
“At the building on New Durham Road, the roof was wooden, so once it lit up, it couldn’t be stopped easily,” he said. “This building has a metal roof and brick structure, so if something happens, it can be contained quickly.”
The township paid approximately $2 million for the building, along with about $400,000 for the equipment within, according to Lankey.
The facility includes several innovations, such as a parts shop and hose shop, where mechanics can produce their own hoses.
“We are really proud of the equipment we have that we didn’t possess before,” Bartos said. “Now we have six new mobile wheel lifts that allow us to lift 18,500 pounds of equipment at a time and can be used indoors and outdoors. We also have eight bays that fit more trucks that need to be worked on.”
In April, the governing body approved the $365,000 purchase of sewer-cleaning equipment from Jack Doheny Co. of Wharton and the $195,365 purchase of an Elgin street sweeper from the W.E. Timmerman Co. of Whitehouse, according to officials.
Other purchases include salt, two tandemaxle dump trucks, a Freightliner cab and chassis, and six spreaders, among other equipment.
Bartos said it is a great investment for the township and the five mechanics and approximately 40 sanitation workers who will be using the facility.
“It is a big commitment for them, and the new facility provides more room that can be repurposed for a variety of needs and more comfort for our employees who really are the guys behind the scenes and do all the hard work,” Bartos said.
Councilwoman Sapana Shah said the facility would not have been possible without the dedication and efforts of Public Works Director Jeff Roderman.
“I commend Jeff for all his hard work in refining this facility, and it is truly adding to his legacy in the township,” she said. “We were able to tweak the few things we needed to with this building and add incredible pieces of equipment.”
The Public Works Department has two other buildings, including the facility on New Durham Road that officials are looking to revamp and a parts garage on New York Boulevard, according to Bartos.