DVDS – NEWS – “LIKE THERAPY” –

Fort Rucker, Alabama — Behind the Fort Rucker Fitness Center is where people go to talk to friends and solve problems while working on their personal vehicles.

Tina Barber, Program Manager, Automotive Technology Center, said:

The 26-bay center has 13 car lifts, 2 motorcycle lifts, 12 flat bays, a paint booth, and a body bay. “I wish people would see this place when the bay is full. Everyone is in their zone, and when someone asks a question, people stop trying to help.For some people here, it’s just like therapy,” Barber said. Told.

Customers share a sense of camaraderie that makes the shop feel like a community, she added. I wouldn’t say that, but everyone is busy working in the car, but it’s certainly a refuge for some people, a chance to take a breather from whatever problems they’re dealing with outside the store.”

Barber explained that the center has a long history with the Fort Rucker community. “This automotive technical center he has been operating since 1968, the rear section was built at that time and the front section he built in 1985.

“We have two main programs here: a self-help program and a mechanic hire program,” she continued. “Self-help programs are where our customers take direction from us as needed and work on their own. Hire program mechanics are where they hand over their work to us and will do it for them.

Shop lead Chad “Doc” Grundhauser said customers shouldn’t be afraid to try self-help programs. “We are here to help, but if you feel more comfortable asking a woman, Tina and Tonia are here to explain.”

Barber said she knows her customers move every few years and may not own a collection of tools. We have all kinds of tools, but if you don’t have them, we’ll do our best to get them.

“We also operate a car wash with two manual and automatic bays to fill propane tanks and RV propane tanks,” she added. “Once upon a time, a gentleman brought a boat here and was able to help pull the motor.”

The Auto Skill Center also hosts Better Opportunity Program events for single soldiers, as well as Boy and Girl Scout events from as far away as Lexington, Kentucky.

“I said to kids who didn’t know how to work with their vehicles, ‘Did you know how to fly when you first came to Rucker?’ I will teach you.” Whether it’s brakes or an oil change, it’s how you learn.

He added that the patrons who work on their vehicles represent the entire Fort Tracker population. Call us at 9725. We have women and men of all ages and experience levels here.If you don’t know how to do it, let us know and we’ll help.”

To learn more about the services Auto Skills Center offers, call or visit https://rucker.armymwr.com/programs/automotive-skills-center.