Lieutenant Andy Lunquist Training Facility Sees Major Pavilion Expansion and Upgrades

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Clay County’s Lieutenant Andy Lunquist Training Facility continues to improve beyond expectations from just a few years ago, providing expanded outdoor training opportunities for first responders across the county.

The facility serves Emergency Medical Services, Fire and Rescue, Emergency Management, Community Paramedics, and the Sheriff’s Office. Clay County Commissioners donated the land for the training site during former Sheriff Bobby Deese’s administration. All improvements over the years have been completed without any taxpayer funds, made possible instead through generous donations from businesses and individuals, volunteer efforts, inmate labor, and drug seizure/forfeiture funds.

In previous updates, the Sheriff’s Office has credited the many businesses and individuals who contributed time, materials, and funding to make the facility a reality. Over the past year, significant additional work has included relocating and greatly expanding the main pavilion.

Clay County Maintenance Director Shane Riley allowed his crew members David Smith and Tim Cable to wire the main pavilion with outlets, fans, and lighting. “David and Tim did a fantastic job, and we appreciated them very much,” the Sheriff’s Office noted. Commissioner Randy Nichols, of Nichols Construction, also donated a tandem dump truck load of gravel for the pavilion flooring and parking area.

These latest upgrades further enhance the outdoor training space available to Clay County’s first responder agencies.