Columbia County outlines Facility Management duties, cites 24/7 janitorial service and in-house renovation work

Cassidy Harris, Columbia County public relations manager, introduced the county’s Facility Management Department in a recorded briefing at the Main Government Complex, saying, “If you've ever visited one of our county campuses or facilities, you've noticed just how clean they are.”

Deputy County Manager Matt Schlockter said the department is organized into three groups: maintenance, landscape and special projects. "They're the ones that are out there making sure that we're making repairs to our buildings," Schlockter said, describing tasks from roof and plumbing repairs to electrical fixes. He added the special projects team handles remodels, key card access and alarm systems.

The description matters because the county has moved several functions from outside contractors to in-house staff, Schlockter said, citing janitorial services and building renovations as examples of cost and service changes. He said the county formerly contracted janitorial work but has since hired staff directly so buildings receive more frequent attention: "Now they're getting attention twice a day. And if we need them to come back for any special reason, we can do that." He also noted that the janitorial staff supported operations during a recent hurricane when the Emergency Operations Center was active around the clock.

Schlockter provided examples of larger projects handled in-house. When the county acquired the G Building Complex, Facility Management refit space to house the Board of Elections, creating a larger early-voting area and more office space. The department also reconfigured space to accommodate a GIS department move into a previously vacant area freed by that relocation. He said the county used its own maintenance crews to build new walls, install electrical and ceiling tiles and put in flooring rather than contracting that work.

The department’s landscape team maintains grounds immediately around county buildings — annual flower beds, grass cutting, leaf removal and irrigation repair — but Schlockter said they do not handle parks or rights-of-way. He said some landscape installation work that would otherwise be contracted out is now performed by county crews.

Schlockter said Facility Management also manages portions of the county’s electronic access systems and alarm installations, and the county is studying whether to bring alarm monitoring in-house rather than continuing to contract that service. He described the department’s role in relocating a fire station: to dismantle the old Station 2, move personnel and equipment and help reestablish operations at the new site while Gibbs Road construction proceeds.

Chad Holton, the department’s manager referenced in the briefing, was specifically praised for his team’s ongoing upkeep of county buildings and grounds.

The briefing did not include budget figures, staffing head counts, contract values, or a timeline for any shift to in-house alarm monitoring; those details were not specified in the recorded remarks.