Team Member Spotlight: Leland Avants
Leland (Lee) Avants works as a General Maintenance Mechanic in our Maintenance of Way (MOW) Department. He has been with BSD for 26 years and began his career as a Station Mechanic before joining the MOW team 13 years later at the DeBaliviere MetroBus Facility.
Like his colleagues, Lee is responsible for maintaining the MetroLink Right of Way so our customers and team members can safely access the platforms, so facility team members can access the communications buildings that house the electrical power for MetroLink and so our operators can get to the operator restrooms at transit centers along the 46-mile MetroLink alignment. He also helps maintain the Yards and Shop Facilities at Ewing and at 29th Street.
Lee performs a variety of tasks. You may see him on the MetroLink system repairing a broken handrail, replacing ADA tiles, fixing broken concrete on the station platforms, repairing a leaky pipe, installing a new lock at one of the MetroLink facilities, or checking the MetroLink station elevators in downtown St. Louis to ensure they are in top working order for our customers.
Prior to BSD, Lee served as a school bus mechanic at Valley Transit for more than 10 years. When the company was bought out, he joined BSD. Lee said, “I like the variety of work and the fact that I can do something different every day. It’s interesting.”
Lee is always willing to help his colleagues and believes in treating others the way he wants to be treated. He said, “That’s a philosophy I’ve adopted and that has worked for me over the years.”
When Lee is not at work, he spends a lot time reading, and before the pandemic, he also fished and hunted. Lee has been married for 49 years, has four adult children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. When he retires this summer, he plans to spend more time with his family and continue repairing the antique clocks his wife collects.