NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today joined other officials to break ground on the new $6 million Equipment Maintenance Division (EMD) facility.
“This new $6 million maintenance facility, located in District D, represents a huge win for the City and has been a long time coming. It underscores our commitment not only to improving our infrastructure, but also maintaining it, which is the most effective use of our taxpayer dollars. We are showing the same commitment to buildings as we are our roadwork improvement projects, which we are seeing across every City Council district of the city,” said Mayor Cantrell.
According to the City of New Orleans, the year-long construction project will create a new, 11,867 square-foot central maintenance facility to replace the old facility that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. The facility will provide space for the City to be able to maintain and repair its vehicle fleet. This particular project cost $6 million, and all but $600,000 of it is FEMA-funded; the rest came from City bonds.
The new building has numerous features of note, including:
- 11-service bays with computer access for each
- Fluid reals to each bay to allow for quicker service of vehicles
- Overhead cranes to allow for service of larger vehicles, parts storage area, and fluid storage room
The building also includes 4,906 square feet of office space that includes locker rooms, office space, restroom facilities, breakroom and conference room space.
“Site improvements at the facility include parking areas, stormwater management drainage, fencing, and lighting. The facility will also have an emergency generator to allow continued operations during major weather events,” said Vincent A. Smith, Director, Capital Projects Administration.
“Infrastructure projects are continuing to move forward across the city. Between maintenance projects and the Joint Infrastructure Program, we currently have 62 Department of Public Works projects under construction valued at nearly $416 million,” said Ramsey Green, Deputy CAO for Infrastructure. “Between now and the end of year, we are forecasting a total of more than $500 million worth of Joint Infrastructure projects going out to bid.”