The East County Water Control District is building a new administrative building on East County Lane in Lehigh Acres. When completed, all of the Water Control District’s functions will be consolidated on the same 8.7 acre site.

“I like the concept where everything is in one place,” said District Manager David Lindsay.

In spring 2011, Water District Commissioners approved construction of the 6,800 square-foot, single-story “utilitarian building” at a cost of $850,000. Ground was broken for the new administration building on December 10, 2011.

“Basically, it is a large house,” Lindsay said. “It uses a lot of residential construction features.”

The building now under construction replaces a planned 10,700 square-foot two-story building, after Commissioners decided the planned building was too large and with a price tag of $1.2 million too expensive, for District needs.

The building will house the District’s 10-person office staff and provides office space for the field staff that currently has none in the existing maintenance buildings. A multipurpose room is included in the building. The district will use the multi-purpose room for board meetings, staff meetings, other quasi governmental and non-profit organization meetings, and possibly as a voting precinct. According to Lindsay the District may charge a small fee, to cover cleaning and utilization costs, for the multipurpose room by non-Water Control District organizations.

“The new building is fine with office staff,” Lindsay said. “They are happy to have a new, clean, and safe building to work out of and to work close to the field staff.”

When the Water Control District holds the grand opening for the new administration building in the late April to the mid May time frame, it will mark the culmination of a long and circuitous journey to find a permanent home.

The District will move its administrative functions into the new building from its current location at 615 Williams in Lehigh Acres.

At one point, the District considered purchasing the building at 615 Williams for $750,000 as a permanent administrative facility. However, because the building was in foreclosure and the entire commercial development at 615 Williams needed new platting, an unreasonably lengthy process in the District’s opinion, the Commissioners decided to continue leasing the facility.

In the spring of 2010, the District abandon its “temporary” home in double wide trailers in favor of a permanent structure. In November 2010, the District administrative staff relocated from the trailers to its current location at 615 Williams in Lehigh Acres.

In mid 2009, the Board opted to proceed with construction of a second maintenance building and to complete 95 percent of the site preparation for the administration building. Site preparation included the installation of outdoor lighting, new diesel and unleaded gasoline tanks, and some landscaping including hollies planted to screen the view of the maintenance area from the Lehigh Acres Community Park North.

In 2007, the Water District Commissioners commissioned the design of the aforementioned 10,700 square-foot building. When the economy crashed the following year, the Board opted to hold the administration building in abeyance.

During the second half of the 1990s, the Water Control District’s administration and maintenance building on the East County Lane site was condemned because of poor air quality and mold.

The “temporary” solution was to house the Water Control District’s administrative functions in a double-wide trailer. That “temporary solution” grew in 2006 when another double-wide trailer was added although a new maintenance garage had been completed on the East County Lane site.

CAPTION FOR PHOTO AT RIGHT:

Water District Manager David Lindsay Points to Multipurpose Room Location at Water District East County Lane Construction Site. RICK RAMOS