Rusty McCall of McCall and Associates presented the construction drawings for the Miller Park Fire Station project at the April 6, Liberty County Commissioners’ meeting. According to County Administrator Joey Brown the new facility will serve as the main headquarters for the Liberty County Fire Services allowing the Fire Chief, Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal to move out of their temporary offices at the Emergency Management Agency Office and have their offices onsite at the station.
The construction drawing showed a large training area on the ground floor that will be used by the firefighters and also open to the public for certain events. The ground floor also contains the offices for the administration and has bays that can accommodate several trucks and vehicle apparatus. The ground floor has an area to store their SCUBA gear, has a decontamination room and a gym. The second floor will house the living area for the firefighters on shift.
There was a brief discussion about the type of asphalt they plan to use to make sure the heavy vehicles wouldn’t damage the roadways entering and exiting the new station. McCall said they planned to use the strongest type of asphalt which was the most expensive but still less than utilizing concrete in that area.
They also discussed getting a Georgia Department of Transportation plan to make sure Highway 84 can accommodate the extra traffic entering the station and Miller Park which is also undergoing renovations.
Fire Chief Brian Darby said the station will serve a section of the community that is currently underrated when it comes to ISOs which is a score from 1 to 10 that indicates how well-protected your community is by the fire department.
“It is going to drastically improve the ISO in the area,” Darby said. “As well as faster response times to an area that hasn’t been getting it.”
Commissioner Eddie Walden added the new station will also save lives.
Brown added the station is part of the Commission’s plan that’s been at least 15 years in the making. The Commissioners voted to approve the construction plans for the Miller Park Fire Station.
At the meeting the preliminary plat for the Colonies at Habersham Phase three was approved. The plat includes 52 lots for single family homes on 58.76 acres off Habersham Road in Liberty County. The lot sizes will vary from half an acre to an acre and a quarter. Each lot will have a private septic system. The community will be served by a privately owned community water system. The ponds and all drainage facilities outside of the street right-of-way will be the responsibility of the Home Owners Association or the property owner. There will be a note on the final plat which requires this responsibility be noted in the deeds. Approximately 1.12 miles of new street is being dedicated to the County. Action to accept the road will be needed at a future date.
The Commissioners approved two variance requests to include one that was specifically written to avoid the removal of a 30-inch live oak tree, thereby saving the tree.
The Liberty County Board of Commissioners signed a Proclamation for the National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week which is from April 11 through April 17.
Assistant County Administrator Joseph Mosley gave the Commissioners an update on the Liberty County Youth Commission. The Youth Commission were given workshops on how to become better leaders. They learned how to run parliamentary meetings and learned how to improve their communication skills. They were taught about County Government regarding taxes and the roles and responsibilities within each department in the County. Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman talked to the Youth Commission about the roles and responsibilities of the officers in his department and gave the Commission a tour of the Sheriff’s Department and jail. The Youth Commission will be taught about different professions by local leaders in the upcoming months.