After years of planning to replace a small, decades-old facility, Larimer County, Colo., celebrated the grand opening of its new fleet services campus on Nov. 1, 2024, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located at 614 Vine Drive between Fort Collins and Loveland, the new space provides comprehensive preventative maintenance for nearly 1,000 pieces of equipment.

Years in the making

           When Larimer County completed its Comprehensive Facilities Plan in 2017-2018, the goal was to develop a living document that would serve as a roadmap for facility decisions over the next 20 years. Working with Stantec, a planning and design firm based in Denver, county leaders decided that replacing the Vine Drive campus was a key priority. The building was in poor condition and with a plan to combine both the Fleet Services Department with the Roads and Bridges Department, it would also require an additional 45,000 square feet of space.

          According to Todd Juergens, Larimer County Road and Bridge department director, although the Board of County Commissioners began reviewing capital funding options to advance the modern makeover, there were other building and spatial needs that the county had to address. As a result, the project budget shifted over the years. Finally, in 2021, an initial project budget was established, and after a competitive selection process, the county chose D2C Architects to create a professional, functional and inviting work environment for county staff.

          “Key leaders and members of the fleet services department and the road and bridge department were involved from the earliest days of programming and design, helping to ensure a project that effectively met the needs of both departments and their customers,” Juergens said.

          The formal design process began in May 2021, and besides crafting energy efficient, shared workspaces for both departments, leaders determined it was also important to provide a positive customer experience for internal county customers and outside visitors. Above all, the new facility had to have adequate support and storage space to maintain and extend the life cycle of the county equipment. FCI Contractors were selected to build the new campus with a groundbreaking being held in March 2023.

          “The total project cost was $33.3 million, and the capital funding was pieced together through a variety of county funding sources,” Juergens said. “No debt was required to complete the project.”

Breaking down the walls

          According to D2C Architects, Phase I of the project included a 55,730-square-foot facility to house administrative offices, flexible conference/classroom spaces, parts storage, light- and heavy-duty equipment bays, equipment wash bays, covered equipment storage bays and a sign shop. Subsequent phases integrated uncovered equipment storage, staging areas and fueling farms, including fueling and maintenance of compressed natural gas and electric vehicles.

          Naturally, every capital project has a number of “walls” that are hit and have to be overcome, and the Larimer County Fleet Services campus was no exception. A very wet spring and early summer in 2023 used up all the budgeted weather days anticipated for the project, and the team faced several other construction challenges — especially trying to remain on target financially in a very tough construction market.

          “Supply chain issues, particularly related to larger electrical components, were an issue that had to be worked around,” he said. “The owner/architect/contractor team did a great job of working together to stay ahead of each challenge and remained a cohesive group from start to finish.”

          Regardless of the issues, the outcome has been worthwhile, and the response from the county staff has been nothing but positive. Not only have the work processes performed by fleet services and the road and bridge department improved, but those improvements have been noticed by the staff and customers. Juergens said having the road and bridge administrative offices co-located with the operations staff after being at separate locations for 20 years has improved communication, coordination and efficiency.

          For other communities considering a similar project, Juergens said it is critical to have key leaders involved from the onset.           “This includes being part of the process to select a design firm, because that project team will typically spend three to four years together over the duration of the project,” he said. “Spending millions of dollars together on a public capital project is a huge opportunity, but it is also very stressful and demanding.”

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