Fannin County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of 1.414 acres of property off Madola Road and Queen Road from Rodney Harris for $8,000 using funds from public safety’s SPLOST revenue. The land will be used to replace Fire Station No. 5 in Epworth.
Commissioners made their decision at their meeting Tuesday, October 12.
Station 5 is a two-bay station on leased land at 150 Queen Road that is in dire need of upgrades; however, the fire department is restricted on what upgrades can be done to the station.
According to Fannin County Fire Chief Larry Thomas, upgrading the station would be like tearing the old station down and rebuilding. “That’s how far gone the station is,” Thomas said. The station has not had any upgrades since it was built in the 1990s and does not have indoor plumbing, including bathrooms.
A neighbor of the station, Harris, agreed to sell 1.414 acres down the road from the current station to the fire department for a new station.
The new station would be upgraded to a four-bay station with sleeping quarters and a day room area, similar to Station 11 in Morganton, allowing for the inclusion of a rescue truck or a squad in the future.
With the approval of the land purchase, Thomas can proceed with the land survey of the property.