County of Lexington celebrates ribbon cutting of new Fleet Services building

On Wednesday, May 23rd, members of the County of Lexington joined together to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the new Fleet Services building on Ball Park Road in Lexington.

The state-of-the-art facility is a product of strategic planning and budgeting between County Administration and Council to ensure that the County’s fleet of 800 vehicles and heavy-duty apparatus will be taken care of for many decades to come.

“This facility is the product of foresight and strategic planning by Council and County staff,” Lexington County Council Chairwoman Debbie Summers said. “I am immensely proud of the work our fleet services staff carries out on a daily basis to ensure that our fleet is in working and service-ready condition.”

The building boasts eight light-vehicle service bays, equipped with eight vehicle lifts and vehicle alignment capabilities, as well as 12 heavy-equipment bays for ambulances, fire apparatus, construction equipment, motor graders and large dump trucks. This is a vast improvement from the nine-bay, 1970’s-era built facility in which the Fleet Services department previously occupied.

Workspaces inside of the 30,000-square-foot facility have been fitted to provide ergonomic and efficient areas for employees to maintain, fix and upgrade the County’s fleet. A 10-ton bridge crane, capable of swapping truck bodies and ambulance modules, fits seamlessly in with eight heavy-duty truck lifts and a portable set of 76,000-pound mobile columns, which can easily lift a firetruck.

Built for longevity, all lighting systems in the building were outfitted with long-lasting LEDs and an economical heating system was installed, which utilizes five waste oil burning furnaces that will be fed by the waste oil generated from routine oil changes. On hot summer days, large bay doors can be opened to capture cross ventilation and supplemented by five 17-foot diameter fans for air circulation.

Among other characteristics, the building is also fitted with a training room, break room, in-house parts room, technician reference library and 10 EMS ambulance charging stations in the parking lot.

As the County’s population and demands for service grow rapidly, the stresses placed on the County’s fleet will continue to mount. However, with this facility, the County of Lexington Fleet Services will be able to continue to maintain the County’s fleet efficiently to ensure that the County’s service to its residents and visitors stays well oiled.