Bay County Road Commission proposes 30,000-square-foot truck garage, asks county to consider bonding

Jim Lillo of the Bay County Road Commission told the Bay County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 9 that the commission’s current maintenance buildings are undersized for modern trucks and lack fire suppression, forcing costly equipment to remain outdoors.

"There's a definite need to get them inside," Lillo said, describing truck bays where vehicles sit "10 inches apart" and mechanics must squeeze between equipment. He proposed a pre-engineered steel building — roughly 100 by 300 feet for the main garage, a 40-by-300 lean-to for pickups and a 25-by-80 automated truck wash — that would store about 23 trucks and bring nearly all fleet maintenance indoors.

The proposal calls for heated concrete floors, ventilation and fire suppression. Lillo said soils at the Beaver Road site are poor (he described them as a "Bangor Township swamp"), requiring piling under the building and contributing to higher-than-typical costs. He told commissioners the design-build team (identified in his presentation as Truditus Johnson/Spicer) has reached 90% plans and that a final engineer’s estimate was expected by the end of the month. "We do not have a final estimate. The previous estimate was at 10,000,000. We're expecting it to be $11.12 depending on tariffs and all that," he said.

Lillo emphasized operational benefits of an automated wash system, citing examples from neighboring counties and a vendor case study. He said an automated, drive-through wash can cut cleaning time from more than an hour to minutes, reduce manpower and water use, and substantially reduce corrosion: "The frequency of wash... you're talking 5, 7 years or longer" of extended equipment life in comparable systems.

On financing, Lillo said he found no applicable grants or low-interest programs for public buildings and urged the board to consider county bonding, noting the county’s favorable bond rating could lower borrowing costs. He presented sample bond scenarios and said the commission would prioritize the payment in its budget. "The first thing in that budget is this payment," he said, adding that the commission has planned around similar bonds before.

Commissioners questioned the need for office space in the new building, demolition of several small, deteriorated structures on the site, and whether the project would force cuts to road maintenance. Lillo responded that the office space would be for on-site supervision and that an asbestos inspection of the older buildings found none; he also said he was confident the bond payment could be accommodated without cutting current maintenance levels.

After questions, the board voted to receive the Road Commission report. Lillo invited commissioners to tour the facility to see conditions firsthand.

The board did not take a funding vote on the project at the Sept. 9 meeting; Lillo said the commission expects a final engineering estimate by the end of the month and remains engaged with bond counsel to structure possible borrowing.