Lumberland soon to call new barn ‘home’

Occupancy scheduled for May or early June

By LISA CUTRONI

GLEN SPEY, NY — Come May, the Lumberland Highway Department will have a new home on Proctor Road.

John LiGreci, Town of Lumberland Supervisor, said the highway department should occupy the new barn by the end of May or the beginning of June.

“The new barn will provide much more room. There will be an entrance and an exit, so the trucks don’t have to back out anymore. The mixing of sand and salt will be done indoors, avoiding the complications of poor weather conditions, and all the equipment will be able to fit inside,” LiGreci said.

“With the park facility and new highway garage and salt shed, we have a lot of projects going on. It would be nice to get some closure and know everyone is safe,” he said.

The occupancy date was pushed back when winter set in.

“We were hoping that we were going to have the frame up before January, so in the winter we would be able to work inside,” LiGreci said. However, because of poor winter weather, work was delayed.

Recently, C.A. Phillips Construction Corp. of Eldred completed the framing of the barn, which is located on a five-acre site. Soon, LiGreci said, the siding will go up.

Following the siding completion, contractors with Port Jervis Electric will complete needed electrical work, while Don Clune Plumbing & Heating of Sparrowbush will work on the plumbing.

The total project, which includes the barn and a new salt shed, costs $1.2 million. The salt shed was constructed in 2003 and is significantly larger than the previous one. The new shed holds 4,000 tons of salt, while the old one held 350.

That significant change in salt space allowed Lumberland highway superintendent Charles Hallock to sleep easier. “I can sleep at night now, not having to worry about when the next salt delivery will be,” Hallock said.

According to LiGreci, the town only has to buy salt once a year now, rather than several times per season. “That could save us $25,000 a year because we are able to buy at a better bulk price,” LiGreci said.