DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - The Danville City Council voted to create a special projects budget in order to pay for its planned expansion to the city's transportation office.
The empty parking lot next to the current transportation office is where a 4,400-square-foot stand alone building will be built.
"Any time you have a capital project, you can anticipate the project will go over from one fiscal year to the next fiscal year, so you put the major capital project budgets in special project budgets so that you don't have to re-appropriate funds at the end of the year,' explained Danville City Manager Ken Larking.
The project is expected to cost a shade more than $1.3 million, with 96 percent of that coming from state and federal funds the city has already been approved for.
The current building was built in 1986 and was only designed to house the city's transportation department.
Now, the building also houses Danville Public School's transportation department and the parks and rec department's senior transportation services.
"I think it's going to be a better work environment that will support positive workforce retention, which is critical in providing service for the citizens of Danville," said Danville Transportation Director Marc Adelman.
One of the biggest problems is that drivers, administrative personnel, dispatchers and maintenance workers all have to share a tiny office on the first floor.
"Her phone could be ringing at the same time this lady's phone is ringing at the same time the radio is going. Plus, then you have drivers coming in," Adelman explained as he stood in the tiny office on the first floor.
Another big problem is that there is no place to review video footage from buses.
All of this will change with the new building.
The school district's transportation department will get the current building all to itself and the city's transportation department and the senior transportation service will move into the new building.
Construction could start as early as next month.