March 2003--Monroe County’s Department of Environmental Services is consolidating multiple county departments into one location, improving efficiency and reducing costs. This innovative project is the Monroe County Inter-Agency Public Works Facility (IPWF), located at the southeast corner of the Greater Rochester International Airport. Consolidating eight (8) county departments and 300 employees into one facility on County-owned land, the IPWF will generate significant savings for the County, including elimination of leased space and reduced material costs, while enabling more efficient operations. The project successfully builds upon and re-uses the abandoned Gates-Chili-Ogden Sewage Treatment Plant at 145 Paul Road.

The goal of Monroe County’s DES Director, John Graham, P.E., was to provide highly efficient Public Works services and operations in a modernized facility. Teaming with the design professionals at Passero Associates, Mr. Graham has achieved this goal. The IPWF is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, in harmony with the businesses and high-profile corporations located near Rochester’s International Airport.

Formerly, Monroe County leased over 100,000 SF worth of space in varied locations to house various County departments and equipment. With the opening of the IPWF on land owned by Monroe County, the County will save $ dollars in leasing costs alone each year. Departments that are now housed at the IPWF include:

• Department of Environmental Services
• Department of Weights & Measures
• Parks and Recreation Department
• Highway Department and the Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Sheriff’s Department
• Greater Rochester International Airport (GRIA) Vehicle Storage

Site-Specific Design Challenges
The project’s architectural and engineering challenges have been extensive throughout the design and development stages. Typical issues have included: completing design within a tight schedule, meeting the needs of all agencies involved, keeping within the budget, conquering obstacles within the existing site foundation and overcoming the unique challenges of re-using a site that previously housed a sewage treatment plant.

The poor condition of the soils at the site made the cost of pouring new foundations prohibitive. Using existing structures at the sewage treatment plant has reduced these costs considerably. For example, the clarifying tanks were filled with crushed recycled glass, providing a solid foundation, and the aeration tanks were used as underground storage and as a foundation.

Protecting the buildings and their occupants was a priority in the design. The site’s location in a flood plain required a design that minimizes damage in the event of rising waters. To accomplish this, the FLEET building is seven feet above grade, and four feet above the flood plain. The GRIA building utilizes a wet flood proofing system to equalize hydrostatic pressure by having collapsible overhead doors.

Bringing County Departments Together
Integrating all the County departments into one space while satisfying each department’s specific needs required thoughtful, innovative design. For example, the Sheriff’s department requires a high level of privacy and security, creating the need for some separation from other departments in the facility.

Sharing resources such as backhoes, weed eaters, tools, lifts and cranes is another cost-effective benefit of the IPWF. One centralized parts distribution room allows the County to pool its resources and staff for effective inventory control over automatic parts. A centralized oil distribution system includes four (4) 1,000 gallon tanks which hold oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze and hydraulic fluid, allowing the County to purchase these fluids in bulk. Integrated efficiency was worked into every detail of the design for higher productivity, less waste and smoother operations.

Over 300 employees will be based at the IPWF. No jobs were eliminated due to the consolidation of County departments. Consideration for such a large number of employees was incorporated into the design of parking spaces, the cafeteria, the large open restroom area with lockers and showers, the high-tech conference room and training facilities.

County materials have also been consolidated at the IPWF to save space and increase access to materials for all departments. These materials include landscaping essentials, such as mulch, soils, and gravels, as well as Department of Transportation light poles, signs and maintenance supplies.

Each department’s specific needs were addressed in the design of the facility. For GRIA, the design team planned a secured storage area for large runway maintenance equipment which also needed to have secure access to the airfield. Coordination with the FAA was crucial to address security measures in and around airport property. Also housed in this building is the Department of Transportation sign shop, a Parks Department carpentry shop and a large bay area to house the DOT paint stripping truck.

The sheriff’s department also requires security and privacy, which is provided for in the design of the facility. One building on the site is dedicated to housing specialty vehicles for the department, with each vehicle having its own designated bay area. The Sheriff’s specialty vehicles include the Bomb Squad vehicle, the Scuba vehicle, the Surveillance Team vehicle, the SWAT Team vehicle and the Sheriff’s Mobile Command Center.

Monroe County continues its beautification program, “Monroe County in Bloom”. Beds formerly used for drying sludge have now been converted into greenhouses. The floors of the greenhouses are constructed over the former beds and covered with crushed stone, providing excellent drainage.

The FLEET building is constructed directly over the filled-in clarifier tanks, on a concrete foundation nearly four feet thick. The building features a beautiful reception area, several small conference rooms, a lecture hall with tiered seating, administration space for public use, an employee conference room, a high-tech training facility, cubicles for managers and supervisors and a large lunchroom area.

The maintenance area features a 5-ton bridge crane engine, an 5-ton vehicle elevator, and a body shop which includes a paint booth and a wash bay with a high pressure washer. Natural light is maximized in the building’s design.

Where does all the County’s sewage go? Actually, sewage is still routed to the IPWF, but is now pumped underground to Monroe County Pure Waters Interceptor Sewer at Van Leer Sewage Treatment Plant., where it is treated.

The redevelopment of the Gates Chili Sewage Treatment Plant into an Inter Agency Public Works Facility was an exciting challenge. Overcoming the design obstacles challenged the design team to think in revolutionary ways to reduce costs and re-use existing materials. This was successfully accomplished by a dedicated team of professionals who saw this complex project through to a triumphant accomplishment.

The final design of this project represents the epitome of efficiency, land reclamation and re-use.