Bay County Road Commission urges new heated storage and wash facility to protect fleet, asks commissioners to consider bond financing

At the Sept. 9 Bay County Board of Commissioners meeting, Jim Lillo, representing the Bay County Road Commission, told commissioners the commission needs a new heated storage and equipment-wash facility to protect increasingly large and expensive trucks and heavy equipment.

Lillo said a large portion of the fleet is currently stored outdoors or in buildings that lack fire suppression, insulation and sufficient interior clearance; he described trucks parked “10 inches” front-to-back in the main garage and said that modern vehicles are wider and longer than the bays were built to accommodate. “There’s a definite need to get them inside,” Lillo said during a presentation that included photos, a site plan and cost estimates.

The presentation focused on safety, asset protection and lifecycle cost savings. Lillo said the commission has 90% design plans from a design-build team and described a primary building about 100 by 300 feet, a secondary heated lean-to and an automated truck wash, producing roughly 44,000 square feet of enclosed space with heated concrete floors, ventilation and fire suppression. He described pile foundations because of poor soils and estimated construction at roughly $10 million to $12 million, saying…