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County should take 'concretable' route

For rock-solid ideas on how to save millions of taxpayer dollars, the County Commission needed to look no further than its neighbors in Lecanto. Not far from the county government services building is a new wing of Lecanto High School and the addition to the CREST school. A short drive north along County Road 491, the county jail complex is about to double in size.

All three structures are designated for very different uses. What ties them together, however, is the very reason why county officials must take careful note of how they came into existence.

The three new buildings are made from concrete modules that are cast elsewhere in the state and then hauled here by trailer and stacked together like giant building blocks. The results are fully functioning structures that were erected in less time and for less money than conventional construction.

The concept has caught on around the country as governments and businesses struggle with the soaring costs of construction materials. The military, communities recovering from natural disasters and governments looking to save money and to move quickly on construction projects have gone the "concretable" route.

The savings have been dramatic. The school system, which has embraced the concept, estimates it could have saved more than $12-million in construction costs on two recent projects alone had it gone with concretables sooner. It's a sure bet that district building officials will be looking to use the concrete classroom concept as future projects emerge.

County commissioners should follow their lead. As the county contemplates new buildings in the coming months and years for the sheriff, constitutional officers and possibly the judiciary, while at the same time facing pressure from taxpayers to hold the line on spending, the commissioners must consider buying their own set of 40-ton building blocks.

[Last modified January 29, 2007, 20:16:18]