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Brown asked, "Are we seeing that trend com- ing to an end now?" Lempe replied that he had just heard from construction industry representatives on that point. "There's more demand for raw materi- als," Lempe said, so that part of the expense is rising. Further, he explained, "During the economic downturn, firms left Sarasota." Therefore, "that lack of competition … obvi- ously drives up costs." Lempe added that industry representatives had told him to expect an increase between 3 percent and 7 percent a year in overall con- struction costs. On one other positive note, Lempe said the new South County Bus Depot, which was completed this year at a cost of $2,457,400, should pay for itself within five to seven years because of the projected savings of $300,000 to $400,000 per year in fuel costs, mainte- nance expenses and driver time. Before that facility was completed in North Port, Lempe noted, the district was paying a lot of money for "deadhead" miles between that city and Venice. Lempe was referring to the distance buses had to travel between their first and last stops of the day and the facility where they were stored. He also told the board that district staff is talking with representatives of Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) about storing buses at the new North Port facility and buy- ing fuel for them from the school district. That would be an example of good local gov- ernment cooperation, he added, as well as a means of saving taxpayer money. % The rebuilding of Sarasota County Technical Institute, including the creation of new ball fields for Riverview High School, will be complete this year. Photo by Rachel Hackney Sarasota News Leader August 1, 2014 Page 16