The Lowndes County Road Department may soon have a new place to call home. The board of supervisors are considering a plan to move the road department’s maintenance department from its current location on Airline Road to the former Peterbilt dealership on Highway 45 North.
“The current building is in an old landfill,” County Administrator Ralph Billingsley said. “It is literally sinking. When there is a heavy rain, water is coming in the building because it is lower than the ground. It’s a real problem. We are looking to see if we can move to the old Peterbilt building.”
Billingsley said the board is currently negotiating a price with the building’s owners.
The property contains approximately 8,000 square feet of shop space and an additional 4,000 square feet of office space. It has been vacant since the dealership closed more than three years ago. According to Billingsley, Peterbilt — a product produced by Paccar — purchased some property near the Paccar plant location off of Highway 82, but were unable to have some key infrastructure added to the property.
“Another problem on Airline Road is the tree canopy,” said Billingsley. “It’s a very scenic street if your are riding in a vehicle. It is not so good when you are bringing large trucks through there. It should improve the quality of the department by having a new facility.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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