Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Many California corp yard locations date back five or more decades, often hidden in older industrial areas. Sites may include structures reaching the end of their useful life, constrained operations due to population growth, and comingling of employee and fleet parking which can expose agencies to risk management issues. In addition, changing staffing demographics may necessitate modifications to support spaces such as locker rooms, restrooms, and showers.
Other considerations include environmental regulation compliance and review of areas such as wash bays, materials bins, and hazardous materials areas for compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) standards. Regardless of the challenge, opportunities exist to capitalize on dated facilities and increase operational efficiencies by making strategic business decisions.
Potential for Winning Solutions
Older corp yards may be located on sites that can now accommodate higher and better uses. Sale of agency-owned property can bring much-needed revenue to communities and fund a new, more efficient corp yard in a more appropriate location; while a long-term lease can provide bonding capacity for other capital projects.
An outside, independent cursory review can reveal opportunities to bring these critical facilities up-to-date, improve operational efficiencies, reduce risk exposure—and potentially provide the self-supporting fiscal solutions to make it happen.