Athens-Clarke County Commissioners will get a briefing Thursday on plans for a new east side fire station.
Fire Station #5 on Whit Davis Road is 49 years old, and public safety officials say the facility has outlived its usefulness. With some $6 million in SPLOST funding approved by voters for a new fire station, county fire officials will present a laundry list of needs and nice-to-haves to lawmakers at a work session.
Most importantly, officials want the new station to be in a new location, in order to better cover the east side. Also important – the addition of male and female living, bathroom, and shower accommodations, something missing from the current station. Officials are also asking for three bays for fire trucks, an increase of one.
One thing the new station is not likely to have, however, is the traditional slide pole. The fire department is asking for the new station to be a one-story building.
Commissioners are set to vote on the project concept early next month, with a land purchase for the new station expected late this year or in early 2024.
