Manatee County must replace downtown parking garage for ‘deterioration,’ report says
Manatee County Government expects to pay tens of millions of dollars to replace its parking garage in downtown Bradenton after an engineering report found “signs of deterioration.”
The garage is still a safe place to park, officials say, but replacing it as soon as possible has become a priority. The county’s recently published capital improvement plan includes $33 million to replace the garage, which is attached to the Administration Building at 1112 Manatee Ave. W.
“It’s not in imminent danger. If it were an immediate danger, I wouldn’t have people parking in it,” County Administrator Scott Hopes said Friday. “We are taking all the necessary steps to make sure our employees work and park in a safe environment.”
Construction on the six-story garage was completed in the late 1980s. According to the project description, a professional inspection report found that age and “continuous water intrusion” have caused significant damage to the structure.
In a Friday afternoon interview with the Bradenton Herald, Hopes said he has requested a second opinion on the parking garage, but the details of that inspection have not been finalized.
While the initial report determined that “massive areas” would require $8 million in repairs within the next two years, the county’s Property Management Department recommended replacing the garage entirely because the repairs would only add five to 10 years of life to the garage.
“We continue to uncover examples of mismanagement and poor governance from years past. Neglecting this structure could have resulted in a catastrophic event if not caught by our new administration,” Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge wrote in a text message to the Bradenton Herald.
“Thankfully, that was avoided. Unfortunately, it looks as if this will cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars unnecessarily,” he continued, expressing frustration with the unexpected expense. “The money we now have to divert to a new parking garage could have gone into new roads or parks.”
County officials plan to knock the existing garage down in order to build a “larger, more efficient” parking garage for county employees and the general public, according to the project description.
If approved as part of the budget later this summer, county officials would immediately begin the process to design a new parking garage. According to the capital improvement plan, construction could begin next fall and be completed by the end of 2025.
More than 500 county employees work in the Manatee County Administration Building every day. The building serves as the government’s headquarters and hosts a number of customer service areas for county residents.
A separate inspection report did not find significant issues with the Administration Building itself, which is set to receive a roof replacement later this year.
During construction, it’s unclear where those employees or visitors will be able to park downtown. There are other parking structures downtown, but those are smaller garages with other primary uses.
Speaking with the Bradenton Herald on Friday afternoon, Mayor Gene Brown said he expects the incoming demolition and construction will cause headaches downtown, but the city plans on working with the county to minimize problems.
“Obviously, there’s going to be some challenges during construction,” Brown said. “Anything we as the city can do to help the process, we’re going to do. (County officials) are working through the logistics, but hopefully, we can make the transition as easy as possible.”
Hopes said the county will also consider running a shuttle between the Administration Building and county-owned parking lots, such as the Old City Hall site on the southwest corner of 15th Street West and Manatee Avenue West.
The Board of County Commissioners will hold a series of budget meetings next week. The capital improvement plan, which includes money to build a new parking garage, will be discussed during Tuesday’s meeting, which begins 9 a.m. at the Administration Building.
This story was originally published June 10, 2022 at 3:07 PM.
