South Carolina Construction News staff writer
The Town of Fort Mill broke ground Sept. 16 on a new Operations Center that will consolidate municipal operations for its Utilities and Public Works departments.
The 33-acre campus is planned near Banks Road and Sparkling Brook Parkway. The project is being built by Hood Construction, with DP3 Architects serving as architect and Goodwyn Mills Cawood also part of the project team.
The town received $25 million in state grant funding for the project.
The new Operations Center will replace the town’s current use of the historic National Guard Armory on Unity and Elliott streets by Utilities and Public Works employees.
Built in 1938, the armory was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It has served as a community meeting place, youth sports venue and municipal facility, but town officials say its size and condition no longer meet the needs of a growing community.
Mayor Guynn Savage discussed the history of the armory and the funding that helped make the new facility possible.
The Operations Center will house about 85 employees and include an administration building, warehouses, vehicle and equipment storage, a fleet maintenance building, and a fuel and wash depot.
The campus will accommodate Public Works, Utilities, Water, Sewer, Stormwater, Street Maintenance, Buildings and Grounds, Fleet Management, Sanitation and Recycling operations.
The planned buildings include a 17,000-sq. ft. administration building, a 14,000-sq. ft. fleet maintenance building and a 16,900-sq. ft. warehouse, along with covered and enclosed vehicle storage, a vehicle wash building and covered fueling station.
Town Manager Cary Vargo said the Utilities and Public Works departments maintain 84 lane miles of roadway, signage and traffic signals, collect trash from about 9,200 properties, maintain 35 town properties and manage a fleet of more than 225 vehicles.
The departments also maintain fire hydrants and the town’s water distribution, wastewater and stormwater systems.
“The list of responsibilities that our employees in these two departments do on a daily basis is far too great to enumerate,” Vargo said.
Utilities Director Adam James said the new facility will provide additional space and capabilities for employees.
“This new Operations Center is certainly an investment in the facility, but more importantly, it’s an investment in our employees and the services we provide to the community every day,” James said.
Public Works Director Brian Harris said the facility is intended to meet the department’s operational needs as Fort Mill grows.
“As Fort Mill continues to grow, so does the responsibility of providing exceptional public services,” Harris said.
The project is expected to be completed within about 15 months.
