Beaufort County breaks ground on Station 39, a $5.7 million GeoBond-funded fire and EMS station in Sun City

Beaufort County officials and community leaders gathered in Sun City to mark the groundbreaking for Station 39, a new Bluffton Township Fire District fire and EMS station funded by a $5.7 million GeoBond and intended to improve emergency response coverage in a fast-growing part of the county.

"This exciting and important project for the community, the construction of a new fire and EMS station known as Station 39," said Jared Fralich, assistant county administrator with a focus on infrastructure, opening the ceremony and introducing the site and participants. Fralich said county staff will provide quarterly updates to the council and committees as construction progresses, but he did not provide a firm completion timeline.

County Council vice chair Anna Tabernick, who also identified herself as president of the Sun City Association, recounted a 2021 town hall prompted by then-Chief Thompson's heat map showing longer response times in parts of Sun City. Tabernick said the board approved the site and that "the citizens of Beaufort County" are funding the station through a GeoBond worth "$5.7 million." She credited county staff and the Bluffton Township Fire District for advancing the project.

Jay Frazier, president of Frazier Construction, said his firm is the design-builder on the project and described work the team has completed to prepare the site. "We're the design builder on this project, which means we're more than just a general contractor," he said, noting stormwater, power-line and low-lying ground constraints required engineering adjustments.

County Administrator Mike Moore said the station will serve areas along Highway 278 and support growing communities, including the USC Bluffton student population. "The $5.7 million investment into public safety will prioritize lives and improve service delivery times across Beaufort County at large," Moore said, and he recognized county EMS during National Emergency Services Week.

Bluffton Township Fire Chief David Hyman said the station is intended to serve firefighters and EMS personnel around the clock and emphasized the partnership among elected officials, the fire district and the construction and design teams that produced the plan. Logan Cunningham, chair of the county's Public Facility Committee and liaison to the Bluffton Township Fire District Board, praised the financing approach, saying the county funded Station 39 "without touching our impact fees" and urged work to continue on future stations in Okatee and other areas.

At the podium, Anna Tabernick asked for an estimated construction timeline; Fralich said only that the county will begin moving forward "as soon as possible" and will provide quarterly updates, but he did not offer a target completion date.

Officials completed a ceremonial shovel count and broke ground at the site. County staff and the contractor said they expect to mobilize construction teams and move from site preparation into building work; the county will report progress in regular updates to council and committee meetings.

The ceremony also included a brief Beaufort County Library "Beaufort County Moment" on county history presented by a library staff member.