$55 million fleet building garners council support
Most members support a new building; favored option would serve city needs to 2070
Coral City Council members gave a nod of approval Wednesday to a near $55 million fleet building.
A new fleet maintenance building in the north Cape has been discussed for years and, with the city growing and the need for city vehicles becoming more acute, city officials say one is needed now more than ever.
The new fleet management facility was on the agenda again during the council workshop.
Councilmember Keith Long had asked at last week’s council meeting for an update on the planned facility and things look favorable for a new building.
The city currently has more than 2,000 vehicles, from police cars to backhoes. The current maintenance facility was built in the 1960s and was constructed to store tour buses, not for maintaining an entire fleet of vehicles.
The building served its purpose but the city has outgrown the aging facility, which has only 13 bays in a 19,200-square-foot building, officials said.
This means mechanics have to work outdoors to maintain the equipment because of low overhead clearance, especially fire trucks and larger machinery for which there are no bays.
A feasibility study in 2023 concluded the city had three options: Build for current needs with 24 maintenance bays, build for 2045 with 30 maintenance bays, or for 2070 with 40 bays to service the city at build out.
The council at that time instructed staff to design a 2070 facility, which was ratified by resolution in June 2023. Another solution in 2024 approved the design of the fleet facility and property management facility.
Nearly everyone on the current council agreed there is a need for a new facility, with some saying the current building borders on being embarrassing.
The new facility will be more than 60,000 square feet with 40 service bays, 24 for light-duty vehicles and the rest for heavy duty, with expanded parts storage and better workflow capacity.
The new structure will have better ventilation and safety systems, better overhead clearance, it will be located out of the flood zone and have new gas pumps. The price tag is about $50.8 million, not including the $4.1 million design cost. The city recommended the 2070 project.
Councilmember Joe Kilraine said he was all for making the right facility for the future and if the cost for the 10 extra bays called for in 2070 is right, go for it.
“This is never going to become less expensive in the future. This won’t exceed our debt capabilities,” Kilraine said. “I support moving forward with this.”
Councilmember Bill Steinke said words don’t describe the condition of the current facility. He added the city doesn’t think far enough ahead, which is a problem.
“We see road construction and as soon as they get done, they start again,” Steinke said. “We don’t think far enough down the road. As we’ve grown, the need for larger equipment has grown.”
Staff told Steinke the 2070 facility would be a shell and the capabilities would grow along with the city, Lift bays and other things don’t have to be there immediately.
Councilmember Jennifer Nelson-Lastra said she agreed with the 2070 plan because she wanted to be proactive, while Councilmember Rachel Kuduk was concerned about how the market has changed since 2022 and said 2070 is way too far into the future.
“This whole room will likely be dead by 2070 or at least be very old. It’s crazy to build for 2070,” Kaduk said. “2045 is still 20 years away. This is an example of implementing the will of a prior council taking precedence over fiscal responsibility.”
Mayor John Gunter said the city needs to plan for the future and supported the 2070 plan as well as the funding, whatever that might entail.
Consensus shared at workshops are not binding and are used to give staff direction.