Foley to build two-block public works campus

Foley to build two-block public works campus

By Guy Busby
A new facility to house Foley’s Public Works Department will provide a central, safe location for city services over the upcoming decades. The new campus is planned in a two-block area near the intersection of North Poplar Street and East Section Avenue. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said help meet the demands for services as Foley continues to grow. The City Council voted Monday, May 1, to approve purchases of a new fuel system and rotary lifts for the new campus. The fuel system will cost $504,000, according to bid reports. Darryl Russell, public works director, said delivery time for some of the items in the fuel system is about 30 weeks. Making the purchase now will ensure that the system is ready when construction begins.
“When we looked at this project, we looked at the uses of fuel in regard to disasters, and we asked them to increase the capacity because we were having issues during the hurricanes of supply,” Hellmich said. “So we asked for the city to be more resilient to have a little longer supply. The fact is that we’re growing. Our fleets are bigger. We have more trucks, we have more police cars, things of that nature. So this one is going to be a bigger fuel island. It will give us more resiliency.”
The council also voted to buy rotary equipment lifts for $154,590 to allow city crews to work on all Foley equipment.