Mystery behind Polk dome buildings solved

Saturday, August 23, 2008

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If you drive along Interstate-4 in Polk County you've probably noticed two very unusual buildings near Highway 33.

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Two huge dome buildings in Polk County have become mysterious landmarks.

The building houses Golden Sands ABC domes, which has been busy responding to Tropical Storm Fay.

The domes mostly house disaster response equipment like generators. The equipment is protected by steel reinforced concrete structures designed to withstand 300 mile-an-hour winds.

"You're only as strong as your weakest point," said Golden Sands ABC Domes project manager Claudio Pastore. "Our doors are FEMA doors, they are rated for 200 miles-per-hour winds. So we could withstand a Category 5 hurricane or any hurricane that comes through."

Outside, there are generators and solar panels in case the domes lose power.

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Fay has kept Golden Sands crews busy along Florida's east and west coasts. In one case, they took a generator to an assisted living facility in Fort Myers.

"They're power was out, he said. "They actually have backup generators that were not working. We deployed there and got them up and running."

Right now, Golden Sands has two domes and plans are in the works for four more.

While Bay News 9 was told what's inside one of the domes, the other dome may remain a mystery. Apparently, a financial institution has a big setup inside.

"With Fay, for example, if the winds were a lot worse and things went down they would be secure here," Pastore said. "There is redundancy here to keep their networks up and running."

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