Bradley set for fire station after 20-year wait
A more than 20-year wait by southern Greenwood County residents for a Bradley fire department substation is finally over.
On Tuesday, county officials learned of plans to build a 2,700-square-foot facility at 4301 Highway 221 S., using $228,000 from the latest round of collected capital project sales tax dollars.
Josh Skinner, the county’s CPST coordinator, said Greenwood-based Gordon Group was chosen among five bidders for the contract. Construction could begin this summer.
“We feel pretty confident we’re going to get in under budget and under bid,” Skinner told the County Council.
Bringing the station online is a small part of an overall $14.24 million plan to overhaul the county’s fire services system. Voters approved the allocation in 2016.
Between this year and 2022, officials plan to construct five additional stations at a cost of roughly $3.9 million. That’s important, public safety experts say, because there are 1,720 structures in the county classified as having no fire protection by insurance providers because they fall outside of a 5-mile radius, carrying a total property value of nearly $59 million.
County Fire Coordinator Steve Holmes said crews from Promised Land and Troy will man the Bradley site, which is receiving a new vehicle and one currently being stored at a federal Forestry Service location nearby.
Tuesday marked the second time in as many weeks that county leaders discussed expansion plans using capital project sales tax dollars — with talks earlier this month centering on recreational assets.
In Ninety Six on Monday, the Town Council tabled a resolution about what to do with $450,000 set aside to construct a park there, either at the old mill site or another location.
Meanwhile, councilwoman Edith Childs — whose district includes Bradley — said she was appreciative of the planned venture. She even pushed to get a second bathroom added at a cost of $5,000 to ensure the comfort of those working out of the building.
“We waited 20 years, so I’m grateful,” she said.
Originally Published by Index-Journal on: Jul 17, 2019
By ADAM BENSON abenson@indexjournal.com