Construction of new facility funded by SPLOST sales tax and Impact Fees

Forsyth County broke ground Friday, February 19 for a new fire station that will replace the aging Station 8 on Keith Bridge Road in the northeast portion of the county. Construction of new Fire Station 8 is being funded by a combination of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) VI program and Impact Fees.

Current Fire Station 8, built by volunteers, was opened in 1984 and has far exceeded its life expectancy. The new Fire Station 8 will be designed for 24-hour occupancy, which the current station was not. It will be a four-stall facility, better suited to house the fire apparatus stationed there and to allow for growth and future apparatus placement.

Forsyth County Fire Chief Danny Bowman spoke to the need for the replacement station.

“In 1984, the modest, little fire station you see here today was completed, meant only to ‘house’ the fire truck out of the weather and have an occasional meeting,” said Bowman. “Fast forward to today, where nine fulltime firefighters – three per shift – operate from this location, having responded to 633 emergencies last year. This from a facility that was never meant to be occupied 24 hours a day.”

District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills, in whose district Fire Station 8 is located, shared her excitement about the project.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me to be building for these firefighters a much more suitable facility to live in and respond out of,” said Jones Mills. “We owe a debt of gratitude not only to our firefighters who serve us today, but also to the volunteers who first started our fire department many years ago. The pride they took in serving our community will always be remembered.”

The replacement station will be constructed adjacent to the existing structure, requiring demolition of the current station prior to commencement of construction. To ensure that the territory served by Fire Station 8 continues to have coverage during this time, personnel and equipment from Forsyth County Fire Station 8 will temporarily relocate to and respond from Dawson County Fire Station 2, located at 145 Liberty Drive just off of Highway 53 East.

“The most important thing for Forsyth County residents to know is that their safety and protection is at all times our highest priority,” said Bowman. “Extensive research was done to determine the best location possible from which our personnel could respond during construction of the new station.”

Construction of new Fire Station 8 will occur simultaneous to construction of new Fire Station 6 along Brookwood Road in southern Forsyth County, for which ground was broken February 12. Construction of both is expected to take approximately 12 to 14 months. Hussey Gay Bell is the architect for both stations. Construction of both new facilities was awarded to D.A. Edwards & Company, Inc. in the amount of $5,633,554.