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Highway department tells committee cramped bays, aging cranes and lack of fire suppression create safety and capacity problems
Summary
A Highway Department representative (Josh) told the committee the existing shop was designed for smaller vehicles and now struggles to accommodate larger tandem and tri‑axle trucks; options include a 15–20 foot extension or a wholly new building, and staff recommended upgrading HVAC, adding a proper fire suppression system, and addressing aging overhead cranes.
Josh, representing the Highway Department, told the Richland County ad hoc facilities planning committee that the department’s shop was built for smaller single‑axle trucks and is now inefficient and tightly constrained by larger modern trucks. "Our building was designed for smaller single axle power trucks," he said, noting the difficulty of maneuvering tandem and tri‑axle vehicles in the existing bays and the need for either a structural expansion (15–20 feet) or a new, larger building.
Josh described the shop layout as having limited working bays and only one door for entrance/exit in some areas, creating safety and workflow problems when drivers arrive and depart. He said the department currently stores 19 trucks inside the main parking bay and has three to four active haul trucks parked outside, plus additional auxiliary equipment that cannot fit in the shop area.
On safety, Josh and committee members flagged inadequate climate control in the shop: high summer humidity causes slick floors and insect problems that impede safe work. The department also lacks a dedicated fire suppression system in the shop; inspectors have repeatedly recommended one and staff recalled a close call two years earlier when a loader outside the facility ignited but did not spread to the building. "It's just gonna be hard to stop that," Josh said of a fire in the multimillion‑dollar fleet.
Josh also identified two aging overhead cranes that may require partial or full replacement because parts are becoming obsolete, and he recommended evaluating a remodel to add two garage doors on the east side to create adequate mechanic space or building a new facility sized for current trucks. Committee members raised whether in‑house crews could handle a parking‑lot replacement; Josh said the department believes it has the capacity to perform much of that work.
No binding decision was made; the committee directed staff to list the department’s needs in the capital improvement plan and to begin penciling rough cost estimates for future budget cycles.
