Macon County approves up to $3.05M to fund new fire training facility and classroom

The Macon County Board of Commissioners voted Feb. 13 to authorize up to $3,050,000 from the general fund to pay the county’s portion of a new Fire Training Facility and an additional science classroom at Southwestern Community College’s Grove Center. Commissioners said the training facility is needed because the current building is largely unusable.

Dr. Don Tomas introduced Curtis Dowdle, who told the board that without a local training facility, Macon and Jackson County firefighters would have to travel to Cherokee County for training. Dowdle said that could lead to higher homeowners’ insurance rates for county residents. Finance Director Lori Carpenter told the board the county’s share of the combined projects would be $3,050,000.

Commissioner Shearl moved the budget amendment to move funds from the general fund balance to cover both parts of the project, with Commissioner Higdon seconding. The motion passed by unanimous vote.

The board’s approval authorizes staff to proceed with funding the county’s portion of the project; the transcript does not specify construction start dates, detailed funding breakdowns by source beyond the general fund transfer, or required external approvals. The board did request inclusion of an additional classroom in the project scope.

Next steps identified in the meeting record include carrying out the budget amendment and coordinating project planning with Southwestern Community College; the transcript does not record a formal contract award or construction timeline.

Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this article are drawn from the meeting record: Dr. Don Tomas (introduced the project), Curtis Dowdle (project presenter), and Lori Carpenter (finance director).