Chairman Sayer said the county’s emergency medical services have outgrown existing facilities and recommended moving quickly to secure design work for a new EMS station and associated space. “We need to be proactive in getting something established,” he said during the board’s discussion, citing monthly call volumes and limited living quarters for crews.

The board heard operational details from Mike, identified in the meeting as the EMS director, who described staffing and space constraints: crews are working 12‑hour shifts that may move to 24‑hour coverage, facilities are “maxed,” and substations are regularly shuttered because of coverage gaps. Commissioners and staff discussed how a new facility could include classroom and training space to host certification and continuing education, potentially improving recruitment and retention.

Board members described the operational impacts now: substations sometimes close two to three times a week, ambulances are stretched on mutual aid runs, and some emergency calls have required units to travel from town. Commissioners framed a new facility as both a workforce recruitment tool and a way to preserve response capacity across the county.

After discussion about alternatives (including shifting 911/dispatch functions or expanding existing spaces), the board made a motion to authorize Gerald to proceed with preliminary engineering drawings, cost estimating and contractor solicitation necessary to advance a new EMS station project. The motion was seconded and the board recorded a five‑zero vote to proceed.

What the board approved was limited to beginning design and solicitation activity; no construction contract or funding appropriation was approved at this meeting. Commissioners set expectations that design work and initial estimates will inform later budget decisions and that any construction or major budget commitments will return to the board for approval.

Next steps: county staff will begin soliciting drawings and estimates, and report back to the board with scope, cost estimates and a timeline. No final construction contract was authorized at this meeting.