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Caldwell County details multimillion-dollar capital projects aimed at emergency readiness and services
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Summary
County Manager Shane Fox updated the board on completed and near-complete projects: a $4.8M water tank, a $5.2M Cages Mountain EMS base, purchase and renovation of the 36,252 sq ft La-Z-Boy/Kinkade building (totaling about $6M using state appropriations), and the $2.4M Hickory Springs warehouse; staff said none of these used local taxpayer dollars for acquisition or renovations.
County Manager Shane Fox gave the board a sweeping update on capital projects intended to improve water service, emergency response and county operations, describing completed work and near-term moves to new county facilities.
Fox said the Cotswold (Collinsville) water tank project addressed low pressure and fire-suppression needs for that service area. He reported a total cost of $4,800,000 for the tank project, funded largely with ARPA dollars and $1.6 million from the county water capital fund; the county water fund carries no debt, Fox said.
The county also opened EMS Base 8 at 1901 Colony Springs Road (the Cages Mountain base), which Fox said cost roughly $5,200,000 and included a $500,000 contribution from the Town of Cages Mountain. The new base includes multiple vehicle bays and three training mock rooms designed to improve paramedic training.
Fox described the county's purchase of the former La-Z-Boy facility (the Kinkade building) at 240 Pleasant Hill Road for $4,780,000, paid with state appropriated funds from the 2021 budget. Renovations, site work and furnishings were described as bringing the total for purchase plus renovation to about $6,000,000. "No local money will go into this building," Fox said, noting that IT and several state partners have begun moving into the facility and that 9-1-1/communications will move later when specialized technology is installed.
The county's acquisition of the 89,000 sq ft Hickory Springs warehouse (2145 Norwood Street) for approximately $2,400,000 was also detailed; the building is being used to centralize emergency supplies, trailers and county equipment in a single, secure location and was used in Hurricane Helene response efforts.
Fox and commissioners repeatedly emphasized the financing: water work used ARPA and accumulated water capital funds, while the Kinkade purchase and warehouse were paid from state-appropriated monies originally set aside for a larger stand-alone emergency operations center. Commissioners thanked staff and named employees – including Jimmy Harrison and Jeff Cardwell – for project management and FEMA-reimbursement work.
Fox also highlighted FEMA recovery efforts: county staff and the recovery team secured reimbursement and obligation for roughly $9,000,000 in county public-assistance projects tied to Hurricane Helene. He recognized Suzette Bradshaw for leading the FEMA reimbursement effort.
What happens next: staff will continue technical moves (including 9-1-1 equipment lead times) and occupy the Kinkade facility in phases; the county will use the vacated administrative space to create a consolidated public-facing services center downtown.
