TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The City of Tallahassee has plans to better serve the men and women who are brought in to help restore utilities after severe weather.
After Hurricane Michael hit, more than 600 mutual aid workers were here to work on utilities.
The city had to feed all of them and that was a challenge when it came to space. So, the plan is to build a facility where that won't be an issue.
It's going on Jackson Bluff Road. The building will seat around 300 people, so the city can organize times for crews to come and grab food.
When mutual aid workers were helping after Hurricane Michael, they were working 16 hours a day.
The city's utility manager says the new facility will help future crews recharge.
"It's hard work. It's long work. We need to provide a place to feed them and get them the snacks and the drinks and the ice and all that they've got to take into the field with them to do their job well in a reasonable manner, and that's why we're constructing this facility," said Rob McGarrah, Electric Utility General Manager for City of Tallahassee.
It will also be a space for safety meetings before the crews head out to work. The project is still being designed, but the facility will be built to withstand strong wind.
The city hopes to finish the design by this summer, and the goal is to have the building ready next summer before the peak of hurricane season.
