Fire Stations Nearing Completion

Stephens County is moving ever closer to occupying three new fire station buildings.

County Administrator Phyllis Ayers updated the commission on the progress on the three station buildings at Tuesday’s county commission meeting.

The county is building three fire station buildings, one on North Holcomb Drive, one on Black Mountain Road, and one on Red Bluff Road.

These are not new stations, but new, additional buildings, for existing fire station districts.

The stations on North Holcomb Drive and Red Bluff Road will be part of the Big Smith Fire Department and the new building on Black Mountain Road will be part of the Shiloh Fire Department.

Ayers said two of the three buildings are almost done.

“The Black Mountain site, all that is left is some back filling next to the concrete and getting the certificate of occupancy,” said Ayers. “North Holcomb, a few little water things with the city of Toccoa, then getting the certificate of occupancy.”

Meanwhile, Ayers said the third station building on Red Bluff Road is a little bit farther out from being finished.

She said that is because the county just completed getting the property owner changed over where they needed to get the easement to run the water line.

“Dodd Construction has started the boring for the water line under Oak Valley Road,” said Ayers. “The easement, 60 feet, got recorded this week. It is moving as fast as it can, but we are getting extremely close.”

Once done, county officials said the new buildings will help the volunteer fire departments have quicker access to equipment to better cover their districts.

Also, officials said the new buildings fire will also lower ISO ratings for some homeowners in the county who until now have been located long distances from an actual station building.

Ayers said those lower ISO ratings will eventually lead to lower homeowner’s insurance costs for some homeowners in the county.