Waynesburg, PA – At a ribbon-cutting ceremony today, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) officials unveiled the Department's new, state-of-the-art, 49,880 square foot, $22 million Greene County Maintenance Facility. The original office and maintenance facility, built in 1939, was destroyed in a fire on Memorial Day, May 27, 2019. The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) declared the reconstruction of the facility an emergency project and delegated the new construction to PennDOT.
"This facility matches the skill and talent of the workers here in southwestern PA," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "I commend the amazing teamwork that made this happen, especially under these challenging circumstances."
A temporary county office and garage was activated within six months of the fire to continue maintenance activities. The PennDOT team initiated an expedited design on a new building with a six-month deadline and bid the project in January 2020. The construction notice to proceed was given in February, and contractors mobilized to the site in March – one week prior to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.
The work of the entire Department – Office Services, Facilities, Project Delivery, Highway Administration, Maintenance, and Fiscal – has resulted in an impressive new structure featuring numerous innovations. These include:
Energy efficiency:
- Daylighting – the harvesting of natural light into the spaces to minimize electric consumption.
- LED lighting.
- Water saving devices.
- Occupancy sensors for lighting and HVAC controls.
Safety:
- Emergency panic buttons in the event of injury.
- Hands free restroom fixtures, hand dryers, and dispensers.
- Universal ADA/family assist restroom.
- Loading dock with leveling and safety features.
Security:
- Frosted translucent exterior privacy windows in administrative area.
- Bullet resistant walls and glass in the lobby.
- Secured administrative area separate from main conference area.
Worker comfort and efficiency:
- Nursing parent/employee recovery room.
- Locker room and showers for garage employees.
- Air compressors and HVAC mechanical equipment set apart to reduce noise and vibrations, yielding an improved indoor environment.
- In-floor, radiant garage bay heat aiding in snow melt and service equipment warming.
"PennDOT is always at its best when emergencies occur, and this recovery from the fire has been a perfect example," said District 12 District Executive Bill Kovach. "As a Greene County resident, I am thrilled that my fellow residents and I will reap the benefits of the efficiency in operations this building will create for years to come. It does PennDOT proud, and we are so glad the Secretary is here to see it himself today."
District 12 and Greene County staff exhibited commendable collaboration over the last four years. Ten employees – six from District 12 – received the 2019 Governor's Award for Excellence for their exemplary work rehoming displaced employees and recovering from the fire. Nominations for the honor are based on:
- Significantly increased productivity, efficiency, innovation, or service to the Commonwealth.
- Significant impact on the general public.
- Significant enhancement of the image, prestige, or effectiveness of the Commonwealth.
- Impact on multi-agency effectiveness.
"I am so pleased to be standing here today with this state-of-the-art facility behind me. This facility is what our folks needed and deserved after enduring the tragic loss and disruption resulting from the fire," said Assistant District Executive for Maintenance Robb Dean. "The patience through this time of reconstruction and the dedication to their work throughout shows that this is the quality of work environment we should provide for our employees. Thank you to all the folks who helped make this building the new home of our Greene County staff."
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at PennDOT District 12.
Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at District 12 Results. Find PennDOT's planned and active construction projects at PennDOT Projects.
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Contact: Laina Aquiline, laquiline@pa.gov or 724.415.3748
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