County hears $25–$31 million plan to rebuild Longfellow roads facility; work tied to November sales-tax vote

Tim Turmus, principal and architect with Envision, told the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23 that a facility assessment of the county'owned Longfellow complex found cramped shop space, scattered storage, and buildings near the end of their useful life and recommended a phased rebuild and consolidation.

The recommendation calls for a new, consolidated maintenance and vehicle-storage facility built to the north on county property, followed by demolition and site redevelopment of existing sheds and shop space. Turmus said the plan would centralize vehicle storage, add heated and fire-suppressed storage, provide organized materials storage, and create staff support spaces such as break rooms and training areas.

Why it matters: County engineers and road crews said current working conditions create safety and efficiency problems, including tight work areas in the main shop and exposed, uninsulated cold-storage areas that make equipment maintenance harder. A consolidated facility with heated, organized storage and safer shop bays would be intended to extend equipment life and reduce safety risks for mechanics.

Turmus presented a high-level cost range of $25 million to $31 million for a two-phase project and stressed those figures are preliminary. He said more precise estimates would follow if the board approves moving to schematic design. He estimated an 8-to-9-month design phase followed by roughly 16 to 18 months of construction for phase 1, putting an earliest completion date for phase 1 in 2028 if financing and approvals move quickly.

County Engineer Kathy (last name not recorded in the transcript) told the board the county has budgeted some professional-services money in FY26 that could be used to start design work and that the county has fund balance available to begin certain costs. Kathy said the county is also exploring bonding options and noted bond repayment likely would not begin until about 2028 if the project moves forward. She added it is possible a smaller project in the $15 million to $20 million range could be feasible depending on what voters approve.

Turmus described a construction approach using precast walls and modular components that would allow phasing and scaling by budget. Phase 1 would focus on new vehicle storage, maintenance bays, parts storage, sign shop, roadside material storage and staff support areas; phase 2 would add site development, additional storage lean-to structures, a truck wash bay and demolition of selected existing buildings to create a consolidated yard.

The board and staff tied the project'timeline and funding to a possible local-option sales-tax referendum in November. Kathy and county communications staff described an outreach plan that would include public meetings, targeted mailers to rural subdivisions and a social-media campaign in October to inform rural voters before the election.

What's next: Envision will deliver its fuller materials to county staff; if the board seeks to pursue design the firm would move into schematic design and refine costs. Staff said they will seek public feedback in October and further discuss financing options before any ballot measure or binding commitment.

Quotes

"Space is really tight in the existing buildings out there," Tim Turmus said, describing mechanic bays and storage conditions at Longfellow.

"We do have some monies budgeted in FY '26 in this budget year for professional services," Kathy said when the board discussed early funding to begin design.

Ending

The board did not take a binding funding vote at the Sept. 23 meeting; members directed staff to continue outreach and return with refined cost estimates and a public-engagement plan before any referendum or bond action.