MARTIN COUNTY — Martin County commissioners have approved plans for a new operations center that will house multiple departments, moving forward with a $73 million project officials say is long overdue.
The facility, planned off Southwest Waterside Way, will serve as the new home for Public Works, General Services and Parks and Recreation. County leaders say the project is designed to centralize operations that are currently spread across aging facilities.
Sean Donahue, the county’s director of General Services, described the scale of the project during a recent presentation.
“The scope includes the construction of 114,000 square foot facility plus an additional 4,000 square foot hazardous material storage area. There's 10 acres of secured material and equipment storage, 300 parking places plus stormwater improvements, landscaping, utilities, a lift station, a chilled water plant for cooling, covered storage, material storage areas, and fuel station and emergency backup power,” he said.
More than 150 employees are currently working out of the county’s existing site at the Martin County Airport, according to Public Works Director Jim Gorton. County officials say that setup has created logistical challenges and raised compliance concerns.
Assistant County Administrator Matthew Graham said the current arrangement has led to inefficiencies while also conflicting with federal guidelines governing airport property use.
“These conditions create inefficiencies, duplication of services, and increase operational costs while many facilities are also aging and outdated. Additionally, the county is required to comply with the FAA Voluntary Corrective Action Plan, or the VCAP, which requires location of the non-aeronautical uses from airport property,” Graham said.
The proposed facility is intended to address those issues by bringing departments together under one roof while meeting federal requirements. Graham said the approach is expected to streamline operations and shorten construction time.
“This project provides a long-term centralized solution by consolidating multiple departments into a single modern operations facility. It supports improved coordination, enhances service delivery, and aligns with the county's long-term capital planning and infrastructure goals. Importantly, it ensures compliance with the federal requirements with regard to the VCAP,” he said. “It provides several key advantages. It allows the county to transfer certain project risks and achieve greater cost and schedule certainty, as well as accelerate the project delivery. We're going from 18 months of building this as opposed to 36 months with the traditional method.”
Officials added that the building is designed to withstand winds up to 180 miles per hour, allowing county staff to respond more quickly during hurricanes.
Funding the project drew significant attention during the meeting. Budget Director Stephanie Marley outlined a financing plan that relies heavily on long-term borrowing.
“The proposed financing structure includes bonds pledged by the county's existing half-cent sales tax revenues with the annual impact anticipated to be budget neutral. This is due to debt obligations the board paid off during the current fiscal year, which offset the annual repayment requirements of this bond, thereby improving the project's overall financing structure. It also includes a 10 million dollar budgeted buy-down with approximately 64 million in total debt issued to fully fund the project,” she said. “A 20-year repayment term is recommended, reducing overall interest costs by about 22 million compared to a typical 30-year term.”
Some commissioners pointed to conditions at the current facility as justification for the investment. Commissioner Blake Capps recalled his early visits to the site.
“When I think about this project, I think of it's a very large contract, 74 million dollars. The first thing that comes to mind is the need,” he said. “I remember visiting the current operations facility when I first got elected and it's like a bunch of trailers bolted together. It's kind of subpar for this very large department in our county.”
Still, not all members of the board were convinced. Commissioner Eileen Vargas raised concerns about the bidding process and whether enough options had been considered.
“This is 74 million dollars. There are many companies that would be interested in putting their hat in the ring. This is not something that's impossible to do and I have a very very big problem with this. This has just been pushed forward and there's not a lot of thought,” she said. “Is this really the best deal?”
Other commissioners defended the approach and emphasized the urgency of moving forward. Commissioner Edward Ciampi said the method being used, while not universally familiar, has been widely applied elsewhere.
“This, as we have discussed in meetings in the past, is a strategy that is not familiar necessarily to a lot of folks. It has not been utilized everywhere but it has very much been utilized,” he said. “This has been discussed for decades. I think enough is enough. It's well past time that we do this.”
Commissioner Stacey Hetherington also voiced support, citing the financial structure and overall plan.
“I support the way it's fiscally planned and it's the best way to move the project forward and the most fiscally, I think, sound and efficient and I will absolutely support it,” she said.
The board ultimately voted 4-1 to approve the project, with Vargas casting the lone dissenting vote.