My shop is divided into two repair areas, one for cars and light trucks, and the other for heavier trucks. They are separated by a break room and parts office that also features a second floor that has been used for storage.

I am told that many years ago, the upstairs areas were used as the Shop Foreman's office and the parts room. This was long before I started here.

The Automotive Center was very different in those days. The buses used on campus used to be housed here and repaired in this building. When Campus Transit got a new and much larger facility, this shop became the Automotive Center.

As the Automotive Center grew and its role was revised, the building was updated to match. The Shop Foreman's office and parts room were moved downstairs. "Upstairs," as it is now known, became a storage room for spare parts.

In the ensuing decades, more and more was added to the spare parts inventory to the point where "upstairs" became a crowded mess filled with old and no-longer-usable parts. Fleet Manager Cris decided the time was right for some spring cleaning.

In addition to relieving the enormous amount of clutter, the cleanup was also partially motivated by discussions of moving the Shop Foreman's office back to this location in the future. That is actually not a bad idea as "upstairs" provides a good view of the shop. The heavy truck side of the shop is seen in the photo above.

The two bays seen in the background of the photo above were added at some point. The Service Lane where all incoming vehicles are taken in can be seen in the background of the photo above. The current Shop Foreman's office is out of view to the right next to the Service Lane.

The photo above looks out over the car and light truck side of the shop. My bay is on the far left of the photo.

We'll have to wait and see what happens with "upstairs." If I've learned anything over the last 5 year major changes occur at a snail's pace. So at the moment, this area will still be used for storage, but now for more relevant items that are actually needed as opposed to a cluttered catch-all.