SAN JOSE, CA - The County of Santa Clara, Calif., held a grand opening ceremony on September 16 to celebrate the completion of its new fleet facility in San Jose. The facility consolidates the previous three fleet sites and incorporates new technologies to improve the quality of County fleet services. The cost of the new facility is approximately $24 million. The project is a part of the County's long-term Capital Improvements Plan which was funded by Bond issuances, according to a release from the county.

"County Fleet plays an important role in making sure that the public service vehicles are well maintained," said President Ken Yeager, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. "Consolidating the three sites into one central facility improves operational efficiencies and reduces overhead expenses."

The County Fleet provides comprehensive maintenance and repair for the 1,700 County vehicles and equipment used for public services, including inmate transportation, street cleaning, animal control, Civil Grand Jury transportation, and Public Health Medical, and Dental Mobile Clinics.

The new facility provides the room and capacity for more productive time shifts, allowing staff to maintain an increased work flow at less cost. Prior to the acquisition and renovation of the new facility, the County Fleet maintenance operations were housed at three different locations, all with inadequate capacities, according to the release. As a result, there were limited shifts, especially at night, to service and repair first-response Sheriff and Roads vehicles. This has been a challenge for County Fleet as repairing vehicles during night hours is critical during the winter months when specific equipment is needed for emergency clearing of mudslides and other debris from roadways.

The new facility has 28 vehicle bays, including seven heavy equipment and oversized vehicle bays, and is designed with safe traffic patterns. Wireless internet is available throughout the building to allow technicians to utilize on-line diagnostic and schematic resources. WIFI also allows technicians to interact directly with work orders and provide real-time vehicle status updates, fueling authorizations, and inventory control. The facility is equipped with the most advanced system for handling hazardous waste. The system provides safe ways to contain and transport many types of hazardous waste generated in the process of vehicle maintenance.

"The new facility allows the Fleet Management team to provide consistent and quality service resulting in reduced downtime of vehicles and equipment," said David Snow, fleet manager. "The increased capacity helps to reduce cost by allowing previously-contracted-out functions to be performed in-house now."

Among the functions now performed in-house that were contracted out previously are: inspection and repair of vehicles, technical training for employees, emergency vehicle equipment installation, and building and up-fit of specialty vehicles such as animal control and prisoner transport vehicles. By bringing these functions in-house, the County is able to reduce cost significantly: $525,000/year in lease facility costs; $175,000 in vehicle maintenance; $10,000/year in training costs; and $150,000/year in emergency vehicle installations.

County Fleet also plans to install 25 on-site electrical vehicle charging stations at the new site, according to the release. The first chargers will be installed in June 2011 and will be open to the public and offer 24/7 access.