Lexington Hears Highway Garage Update

LEXINGTON - Winds coming from the southwest are often the most wicked in Lexington which is one reason the new highway department garage will face the way it does, hopefully doing so before next winter.

Town council members, at a recent meeting, got an update on the multi-million dollar job from Jason Preisner of Lamont Engineers.

Preisner said the building design and site plans are nearing completion, setting the stage for bid-letting by January 1, 2026.

The timing is not by happenstance, resulting in “ideal pricing for the town,” Preisner said, noting the finalization of paperwork related to vital grant funding is likewise tying up loose ends.

It was announced, just before Christmas in 2024, that Lexington would be receiving $1.31 million from the State Department of Environmental Conservation Climate Smart Communities program.

The matching grant is allowing the town to move forward on a project initially estimated to carry a price tag of $2.25 million.

“Nobody can predict the bids but we’re excited about this and very grateful for the DEC assistance,” town supervisor Jo Ellen Schermerhorn says.

The need for upgrades in the highway department dates back two decades and more, to the period when the late Kenneth Becker was supervisor, searching diligently for external funding support.

It was well known the old highway garage site, located along Route 42, was hit by numerous flooding incidents, most dramatically in the summer of 2011 and Tropical Storm Irene.

Over the years, groundwork was set for selling that land to the Department of Environmental Protection as part of their flood mitigation program.

Money gained from there will be channeled toward paying off bonding that will be secured to take care of costs above the $1.31 million grant.

Lexington’s road department is currently spread out, housed primarily in makeshift quarters at Mosquito Point, along Route 23A. 

When the new garage is up and running, the Mosquito Point building will then be sold, likewise directing that money toward bond payback.

There is also a modern winter sand/salt storage building along Greene County Route 13 where the new garage will be constructed.

The garage will be situated closer to Route 23A than the sand/salt shed and perpendicular to, rather than parallel to, the main drag, for ease of truck entrance and maneuverability. 

Lexington’s new home base will be a single story 58-by-152-foot wood-framed structure constructed to the southwest of the existing salt shed, documents from Lamont Engineering state.

“The building will have six 16-foot-wide by 14-foot-tall truck bays, as well as administrative/office areas, storage, a break room, and unisex restroom with shower,” Lamont Engineering states. 

Preisner said the site will include a below-ground rainwater holding tank, noting similar tanks, “have been really successful in other facilities,” reducing strain on wells for washing trucks, interior cleaning, etc.

Solar roof panels and radiant floor pipes will be installed, making the most of precious winter heat, especially when bay doors are opened and the warmth-stealing southwest winds invade.

In other business:

—Town council members set a 2026 budget workshop for October 21, at 6 p.m., anticipating there could be the usual necessary increases.

“Insurance is a major concern,” Supervisor Schermerhorn says. “It has really taken a jump this time,” to the tune of roughly 15 percent.

Council members are expected to pass a local law, allowing the budget to surpass the State mandated 2 percent tax increase limit. 

“We have a small budget, not much to work with, so we do this every year, just in case,” Schermerhorn says, protecting the town from penalties. 

“We are doing the best we can for our people,” says Schermerhorn who is overseeing her last budget, retiring as supervisor on December 31, 2025.

—Town board members changed the date of their next regular monthly meeting, usually the first Tuesday of every month, from November 4 (Election Day) to Wednesday, November 5.