New First Student facility in Ogdensburg pursues new heights

OGDENSBURG, NY – Last November, Watertown Developer, Michael E. Lundy, Lundy Group of Companies, purchased the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Community Hall to be the new location for the First Student Transportation Facility to service the Ogdensburg and Lisbon School Districts.   A major part of the renovation of the proposed state of the art facility was to raise the building from its current height of 12’ to 18’.  This would take the building from its’ original use of open event space to the requirements of the inspection bays for the buses, as well as, indoor bus storage.  The original plan was to remove the roof and walls, disassemble the structural steel, purchase new taller columns, reassemble the steel and install a new roof and walls.

Mr. Lundy and LUNCO are the authorized Butler Pre-engineered Representative for the North Country, and they have over 30 years background in design of pre-engineered metal buildings, which the Odd Fellows Community Hall was. As Mr. Lundy began the re-design process, he was referred to a specialist in the field of building height expansion called Roof Lifters of Miami, Florida. With the assistance of a local structural engineer, Lundy retained Roof Lifters to develop an innovative plan to raise the entire structure without disassembling it.  The project consists of using Roof Lifters patent Crib Post System which is a series of temporary hydraulic posts that extend the entire system with the roof and walls in place upwards to the desired height. By installing a 6’ stub column and a metal fascia along the upper perimeter, Lundy will be able to create the designed height, greatly reducing cost and schedule.  Lundy commented, “The benefit of combining our 30 plus years of Butler building design with the technology developed by Roof Lifters created a very cost-effective and innovative project.”  Mr. Lundy further commented, “I foresee tremendous opportunity especially here in the North Country.  Companies looking to use any existing building for tall warehouse or distribution or have a manufacturing process that needs significant height, we now can provide a very fast and cost-effective solution, as well as, provide significant low impact on the environment.”

The Roof Lifters process has begun and is anticipated to be complete by the end of March to allow First Student’s relocation into the facility.  For further information or if you’d like to know more of how the Lundy Group could assist with your company’s future project,  contact Michael Lundy of Lundy Group of Companies at (315) 493-2493 or email at mlundy@mlundygroup.com.