Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves grants, truck purchase and design work for fire services; accepts settlement for damaged fire station floor
Summary
Commissioners accepted a private grant for extrication tools, approved use of impact fees to buy a fire truck, authorized bidding a design contract for Station 8, and approved a $28,875 settlement to repair Blalock Fire Station floor.
Spalding County commissioners on Jan. 27 approved several measures affecting fire and emergency services, including acceptance of a private grant for vehicle-extrication equipment, authorization to use impact fees to buy a fire truck, selection of an architect for a new station design, and acceptance of a settlement to repair a damaged fire station floor.
Fire Chief Byrd told the board the department received (and the board approved accepting) a grant from Firehouse Subs to buy battery-powered extrication tools to equip an additional unit. Chief Byrd said the award is a 100% grant and requires no county match. The board also agreed to meet the donor for a ceremonial check presentation before a scheduled workshop.
The board authorized the use of impact fees to finance purchase of a fire truck for Station 8. County staff said the purchase will follow the county’s prior practice of a finance/lease-purchase arrangement in which the county places a down payment and deposits the financed amount in an interest-bearing account until maturity. Commissioners discussed staffing: Chief Byrd said the department had 16 open positions, had filled 12 that day and expected to fill four more, and that an additional 21 hires would be needed to move to three-person engine staffing countywide.
Separately, commissioners approved soliciting a design contract from one of the county’s two on-call architectural firms (CPL or LDD BlueLine) to design Fire Station 8 using impact-fee funds. The board also approved a $28,875 settlement to repair the floor at the Blalock Fire Station; county staff said a contractor working for GDOT had bored under the Flint River last summer and vibration from that work caused the damage, and the amount reflected the estimate provided by the fire chief and engineers' inspections.
Ending: Chief Byrd and staff thanked grant writers and said the equipment and repairs aim to maintain response capability as the county continues recruitment and station planning.
