Dallas County finds itself in an interesting position currently, as they have several newly vacant facilities that once housed equipment for the Secondary Roads Department.
The machinery was consolidated at the central maintenance site west of Dallas Center, leaving around seven storage sheds around the County empty. In response, the Board of Supervisors has sought appraisals for the buildings with the intention of selling them. At their most recent meeting, the Board reviewed a few of the appraisals, and they will consider a resolution at their next meeting which will decide what they’ll do with that information. Supervisor Mark Hanson says they have much to ponder, but says it’s a good problem to be faced with. “We will be deciding on a process, whether it’s a closed bid or an auction process, or even potentially some sort of a contract with a realty firm to work through getting rid of certain buildings that are no longer needed by the roads department. So those decisions will be forthcoming over the next couple of months.”
There are 10 buildings around Dallas County that currently or recently housed roads department equipment. Of those, only the Perry, Granger, and a future building in Redfield will remain as satellite facilities. Of the rest, the Supervisors believe the sheds in Waukee and Adel have the most value, as potential buyers have been inquiring about them for years. The process of selling the buildings will require at least two public hearings, the first of which could be held as early as the third week in February.