MARTIN COUNTY — Martin County commissioners have approved the final site plan for a $73 million operations facility that will bring several county departments together in one location.
Brian Elam, a principal planner for the county, said the project will provide a centralized facility built to withstand severe weather, with reinforced construction and hurricane-rated features.
"The comprehensive development agreement delivers a turnkey facility. Structural design of the building shell consists of tilt-up concrete panels rated for 180 miles per hour wind resistance and hurricane-rated exterior openings, including windows, pedestrian doors, awning-covered areas and overhead doors with rated hardware and seals, as well as a 20-year bonded roofing system," Elam said.
Several county departments currently operate out of aging buildings on airport property. Federal Aviation Administration requirements mean those operations must relocate, prompting the county to consolidate them into a single facility.
The new building will accommodate departments responsible for maintaining county services, public spaces and vehicles.
"Martin County operations facility supports the co-location of environmental resources, mosquito control, field operations, parks and recreation operations, general services and vehicular maintenance departments," Elam said.
The facility will also include communication equipment designed to support coordination with first responders. County officials say the building's layout will allow for future growth as operational needs change.
Sean Donahue, the county's director of general services, said the design provides flexibility to accommodate additional space if needed.
"We can always add on to the building down the road if needed. There is room. These are large work areas that the building could be expanded in several places," Donahue said.
Commissioner Edward Ciampi said consolidating the departments could improve coordination and reduce costs associated with maintaining multiple older facilities.
"I think the residents will hopefully see an impact in efficiency and cost savings when we take all of our departments that are far-flung all over in all sorts of different older buildings when we get off the airport property. This will solve a lot of ongoing issues," Ciampi said.
Commissioner Eileen Vargas cast the sole vote against the project. She has previously raised concerns about its cost and transparency during the bidding process, arguing that leasing a facility would be a better alternative.
"I cannot and will not support this project. We should instead be taking out a long-term lease to meet the needs for the operations facility and see as we move further down. But this is not the time to be putting money out," Vargas said.
Once completed, the facility will span more than 100,000 square feet and house approximately 160 employees, representing about 14% of the county's workforce.