$6 million highway garage approved: Project won’t result in tax increase

A green light has been given to construct a new Bartholomew County highway garage east of Petersville.

But the approval was given only after county officials emphasized that no new taxes will be enacted to build the facility off East 25th Street, next to the Clay Township Fire Department.

Construction on the 11.25-acre farm property could begin in the summer of 2019 and be completed in the spring of 2020, commissioners chairman Larry Kleinhenz said.

Tuesday’s vote by the Bartholomew County Council came after the commissioners reduced their bond request for a new highway garage from the $8 million presented during the council’s July 2 work session to a maximum of $6 million.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

After council president Mark Gorbett said there was already a consensus among council members that $6 million was the appropriate amount, there was little discussion.

Although most on the council have long expressed a disdain for bonding, the commissioners chairman requested unanimous consent. Following a motion made by Chris Ogle and seconded by Jorge Morales, the council approved the funding step on a 7-0 vote.

The unanimity from a council that has enacted several fiscal belt-tightening measures in recent several years surprised a few county employees in the audience, including highway engineer Danny Hollander.

“I wouldn’t have believed it unless I had seen it,” Hollander said.

But council member Bill Lentz said the only reason the vote was unanimous was that the bond will not create an additional burden on taxpayers.

The current 66-year-old highway garage at State Street and Gladstone Avenue was described as functionally obsolete in needs and equipment, according to an early 2017 structural assessment. Specific problems outlined in the evaluation issued by DLZ Indiana include:

A cracked concrete floor that shifts under heavy truck loads.

A need for a new roof.

Inability of trucks to pull into 40-foot-long service bays.

An electrical system now at capacity.

Inadequate storage.

Expensive equipment exposed to freezing temperatures, due to no exhaust system in the garage.

Inadequate room and height for necessary repair work.

In addition, recent State Street renovations and city regulations have reduced the current highway garage’s acreage from seven acres to just over five acres, commissioner Carl Lienhoop said.

By moving east of Petersville, the highway garage will finally have room to accommodate future growth, Ogle said.

The bond will allow the county to replace the highway garage while still moving forward with planned upgrades to the Bartholomew County Jail and some road improvements, according to a written plan issued by the commissioners.

It calls for making bond payments from a County Economic Development Income Tax plan under the commissioners’ jurisdiction that currently generates roughly $1.4 million annually that has not already been earmarked for other projects.

Following the meeting, both Ogle and Lentz expressed optimism that monies at the council’s disposal, including the Rainy Day fund, could also be used to significantly lower the bond and reduce long-term debt.

Upfront costs listed in the written plan include about $150,000 to purchase the land, as well as $500,000 for design work.

During the July 2 work session, Kleinhenz said the city of Columbus expressed interest in purchasing the current garage facility for several possible uses, including a bus terminal or a storage facility.

However, no update regarding a possible purchase was given during Tuesday’s meeting.

The commissioners plan to tour a highway garage built for $5.5 million in another county to get ideas on reducing costs while maintaining quality in construction, Kleinhenz said.