Henry County BOC approves construction to rebuild fire station 8

Front elevation for new Henry County Fire Station 8 on Jodeco Road
Photo of future Henry County Fire Station 8
Front elevation for new Henry County Fire Station 8 (Henry County photo)

The Henry County Board of Commissioners has unanimously approved a contract to start construction on the rebuild of Fire Station 8. The station, formerly located on Flippen Road, will be rebuilt at 975 Jodeco Road.

Discussions about the fire station started in 2016 when the old fire station was determined to no longer be habitable. The station was constructed thirty years ago by a volunteer fire department and demolished last year.

Henry County purchased the new property, located between Meridian Drive and Summer Leigh Drive, for $200,000 in November 2017. The new location will provide easier access into the station and allow quicker response when departing. Traffic along Flippen Road frequently backs up to the driveway of the current station delaying an engine’s initial response.

The contract was awarded to J.R. Bowman Construction Company of McDonough, GA at a cost of $2,691,000. The county solicited bids for the project and evaluated six responsive proposals before selecting the company. Bowman Construction has previously constructed fire station 2 in Locust Grove.

Construction is expected to last one year. Fire company 8 will continue to utilize the temporary housing on Flippen Road until the station opens.

The board approved a budget amendment of $1,216,000 from fund balance to cover the project costs. The commissioners previously authorized $1.9 million from fund balance for the project in December 2016.

New Fire Engines

The BOC also approved a lease agreement for three new Pierce Enforcer pumper trucks, at a cost of $365,992 per year. The five year lease agreement has a total cost of $1,829,961 and provides Henry County with an option to purchase the fire engines at the end of the lease.

The new engines are expected to arrive in two to three months and will be placed in reserves. Reserve engines are utilized when frontline units require maintenance or service.

About Clayton 1745 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of The Henry Reporter. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.

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