The Jacksonville Transportation Authority intends to develop a $2.5 million office building complex at its Myrtle Avenue headquarters site to consolidate operations.
"It replaces modular building and trailer space and provides meeting space that is a critical need for us," said Brad Thoburn, JTA vice president of long-range planning, capital programs and system development.
The City is reviewing a building-permit application for the 9,200-square-foot building for JTA at 100 N. Myrtle Ave. Core Construction Co. is shown as the contractor for the construction project. Thomas Duke Architect is the building designer. DB Civil Works is shown on plans as the site designer.
Thoburn said Wednesday construction should be completed and the offices relocated by November.
Thoburn said the new building wi.ll have 25 enclosed offices and four open workstations along with two large and two small conference rooms.
The modular building in use has 18 offices and three workstations and the smaller trailer has five offices and one workstation.
The new building will replace those two buildings.
Thoburn said the project budget for the building is $2.47 million, including the construction contract of $2.2 million.
Plans and the permit application show offices, conference space and a plans and technical library.
The existing administration building is 12,672 square feet and the existing operations building is 16,000 square feet, Thoburn said.
There also is a bus maintenance building.
The project will provide a new parking area and new main entrance, he said.
Thoburn said JTA has 686 employees, including 346 operators and 141 maintenance workers. He said 61 of the maintenance employees work off-site on the Skyway and the paratransit service.
The remaining 199 employees include administration; planning and engineering; dispatch; parataransit scheduling, dispatch and reservations; street supervisors; Skyway operators; and security and facilities staff.
Walmart Neighborhood Markets 'coming soon'
Walmart is hiring 300 employees for its four area Walmart Neighborhood Market stores, comprising two in Jacksonville, one in Fruit Cove and one in Middleburg, and is putting up signs indicating it's coming soon.
The stores typically are 42,000 square feet in size, a quarter of the size of the average 185,000-square-foot Supercenter, according to Wal-Mart.
The City approved sign permits Wednesday for the two Jacksonville stores.
Three signs were OK'd at the Merrill Station store at 8011 Merrill Road and two were approved at the Crossroads at Mandarin store at 10550 Old St. Augustine Road.
Florida Sign Co. is the contractor for the signs.
Two wall signs for Walmart Neighborhood Market Pharmacy and a banner sign for "grand opening, open soon" were approved at the Merrill Road store a project cost of $4,568.
A wall sign for Walmart and a banner sign for a "grand opening" were approved at the Mandarin store at a project cost of $4,550.
Walmart announced last week it would hire employees for about 300 jobs at the four area stores, which are expected to open this summer. Most of the workers would start in May to set up for the grand openings.
Walmart said temporary hiring centers have opened and that information also is available at careers.walmart.com
Walmart said it provides a benefits program to eligible full- and part-time associates. It said it provides health and wellness benefits including health care coverage. It also offers eligible associates matching 401(k) contributions of up to 6 percent of pay, discounts on general merchandise, an Associate Stock Purchase Program and company-paid life insurance.
It also said eligible associates receive a quarterly incentive based on store performance.
The hiring centers are taking applications 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at:
• 10550 Old St. Augustine Road, for the Mandarin and Fruit Cove stores.
• 1505 County Road 220, Fleming Island, for the Middleburg store.
• 11900 Atlantic Blvd., for the Merrill Road store.
@MathisKb
(904) 356-2466