And even if the earth doesn't rumble, the rickety public-works headquarters in Midvale has reasons aplenty for employees to leave: overloaded electrical outlets, no fire-sprinkler system or alarms, a sagging roof that could collapse during a heavy snowstorm.

County Risk Manager Jeff Rowley even warned that staffers should vacate some sections immediately.

"It is just dangerous," Salt Lake County Public Works Director Linda Hamilton said Wednesday.

To dodge that threat, the County Council set aside $7.4 million this year to erect a new public-works complex - at the same site, 7125 S. 600 West - that will meet fire code and withstand a temblor.

The decision comes after an engineering analysis revealed "severe seismic deficiencies" that could cause the building to buckle during a tremor. The report warned of thin walls, overburdened rooftops and roofs with no visible connection to the cinder block beneath them.

"Even a not-very-sizable earthquake is likely to bring it down," Hamilton said.

County Mayor Peter Corroon called the building's replacement a matter of public safety. If the complex crumbled, it would threaten a critical nerve center for clearing the county's streets and removing rubble after a natural disaster.

"We want to make sure that public-works officials are ready to go and not dealing with a collapsed building of their own," he said.

The county's worries about the existing facility - first built in 1957 - range from the irritating (an inoperable women's restroom) to the life-threatening (a sagging roof that engineers describe as "600 percent overstressed").

The list goes on: an overtaxed electrical system, cramped storage space, no fire-suppression system and fire damage to roof supports.

"Continued occupancy and use of the building poses a significant threat to the occupants and the programs housed therein," wrote Rowley in an October risk assessment.

But while Rowley urged the county to vacate portions of the building, public-works officials have no plans to do so until the new facility goes up. And the mayor said he will rely on their judgment.

It's not that Hamilton doesn't want to move her staff - she does - but the public-works chief said she doesn't have the resources to do it.

"That is why we are trying to move forward so quickly on this," said April Townsend, the county's administrative-services director. "We all realize that this isn't a good situation."

Instead, the county will bide its time until August 2009, when officials plan to open the new complex.

jstettler@sltrib.com