The Mt. Lebanon Commission is in the process of evaluating a number of options for re-engineering the space at the public works complex at Cedar Boulevard and Lindendale Road.

Last year Mt. Lebanon engaged RSSC Architecture to conduct an evaluation of the facilities and prepare a master plan to meet current and future needs of public works operations. The facility was built in the 1950s, and additional buildings were constructed 20 years later.

The preliminary report from RSSC presented a broad range of possibilities for the parcel of land, which includes a salt storage building, a fuel point for municipal vehicles, a vehicle maintenance garage, garage bays for public works vehicles, parking for police and fire department trailers and storage areas for public works equipment and storage areas for contractors working on municipal projects.  The complex is also home to the police department firing range.

Also included in the report are possibilities for developing the southernmost third of the parcel, the section that stretches toward Gilkeson Road. That parcel, like McNeilly Park, was purchased using grant money from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and a condition of receiving the grant is that the area must be used for recreation.

Discussion of recreation options included a stream stabilization project for the portion of Painters Run that flows through the area, with an eye toward improving the stream’s habitat; expanding the existing trail system to include trailhead parking; the construction of a nature center with a green roof and a rain garden and the possibility of either a dog park or an unenclosed off-leash area.

Any plans for the development of that space would first have to meet with DCNR approval.

Discussions on all aspects of the public works master plan is expected to continue for several months, leading up to the drafting of the capital improvement plan and the 2015 budget.