The City of Independence will hold an open house this week at their new Public Works facility.
The new facility is located in the former FedEx building in the Independence Industrial Park. The Independence City Commission approved the purchase of the 23,000 square foot facility for $1.7 million last July. That purchase allowed the City to consolidate three departments: Water Distribution/Sewer Collection, the Street Department, and Sanitation. That consolidation allowed for shared resources such as personnel, equipment and tolls as well as cost efficiencies and improved inter-departmental communication.
City Engineer John Garris says renovations on the building are complete and the community is invited to come tour the building.
Garris added that to build a new structure such as this would likely have cost the City and Independence tax payers around $10 million. He called the new facility a cost-effective solution to address some critical infrastructure needs, and that it positions the City for continued delivery of quality services well into the future. The Thursday afternoon event will feature comments from City leaders and a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by the Independence Chamber of Commerce at 5:15.
