Mt. Lebanon in January sold an $8.8 million bond to pay for a list of much-needed improvements to several highly used municipal facilities. The bond, which will be paid off by 2032, will have annual debt service that will be paid for with the proceeds of this year’s $0.2 mill tax increase. That increase will net $535,000 to go toward the bond payments.

On the project block for this year is:

• $6.9 million for improvements to the public works facility and to relocate the firing range from its current spot at Public Works to a newly constructed facility on the golf course property. With the exception of the more recently installed salt storage dome, the facility, off Lindendale Drive, hasn’t been upgraded since it was built in the mid-1950s. ($200,000 of the project will come from the capital fund.)

Public Works Director Rudy Sukal says plans call for improvements to the way stormwater is handled on the site, which is located completely within a flood plain.

An addition to the current building will allow more space to store salt and heavy equipment. Properly storing the trucks, plows and other equipment that often now sit outside extends their lifetime and allows the staff to  better organize it.

BOND ISSUE continued Improvements will address access to the site, allowing additional exit points for contractors and trucks delivering equipment and salt.

The mechanics’ garage will be expanded, allowing in-house repairs of equipment and vehicles instead of sending them out to be worked on elsewhere. In-house work saves both money and time.

Part of the addition will  provide the staff with better organized workspaces, again to improve efficiency and save money.

• $1.94 million to repair the ice rink’s defrost system ($430,000 to come from the capital and general funds.) A network of pipes under the main and studio rinks, which pumps heated glycol to keep the soil below from freezing, has failed after 40 years. As a result, the concrete floor under the studio rink is heaving. The project will remove dasher boards, the full ice floor, concrete and pipes from both rinks. Contractors will defrost the soil and then rebuild the system.

The project will mean the rink has to close from March through possibly as late as September 30, although the project has financial incentives for contractors to finish sooner. As soon as the work is completed,  skaters  will be able to  get back on the ice, which means revenue returns. Recreation Director David Donnellan says the rink currently is sold out of skate times before midnight.

• The final item on the list is a $575,000 fire truck to replace one purchased in 2002. The unit includes a six-person cab and a 500-gallon capacity tank with the ability to pump 1,500 gallons each minute. The Rosenbauer America truck will take a year to build. (The sale of the old truck will net $25,000 towards the cost.)