Rare fire station, sheriff’s building on Macon-Bibb agenda

The Macon-Bibb County Commission could vote later his month on a construction agreement for a building that will house a new fire station and sheriff’s precinct.

The commission’s Operations and Finance Committee is expected to take action Tuesday on a $2.25 million contract for the building at 4036 Napier Ave. The new fire station would replace the Breezy Hill Station on Forsyth Road that was built in the 1950s.

Fire trucks have difficulty maneuvering in and out of the station.

“We literally cannot pull the truck out of the station without it being in the street,” Fire Chief Marvin Riggins said. “It’s become a hazardous situation,and traffic is heavy in the a.m. and evening times.”

The construction agreement is with local company Warren Associates. The funding would come from special purpose local option sales tax revenue. Having the fire station and a sheriff’s precinct together is rare in Macon-Bibb, Riggins said.

“It’ll be the first in quite a while where it will do that,” he said. “It’s a concept that’s kind of new, so the sheriff and I are excited about it.”

Two other fire stations — on Heath and New Forsyth roads — have been built in recent years with SPLOST revenue. And construction could be finished this summer on an east Bibb fire station located at 3947 Jeffersonville Road

SPLOST bonds

The Macon-Bibb County Commission could move closer to starting on a new round of SPLOST projects on Tuesday.

The commission’s Operations and Finance Committee will discuss a resolution Tuesday that would declare the intention for the county to issue $35 million in bonds. If approved by the committee, the measure would be on the Feb. 21 agenda for the full commission.

The County Commission reached a consensus on the $35 million amount during a retreat in January. The bonds would allow the county to begin working on projects before April 1, 2018, when collections for the $280 million SPLOST start coming in.

The former city and county issued a total of $38 million in bonds to start work before the current $190 million sales tax revenue rolled in. Macon-Bibb officials must be cautious not to borrow too much money, which is what happened with the current SPLOST, Mayor Robert Reichert has said.

The county is expected to bring in about $80 million in SPLOST revenue between April 2018 and Dec. 31, 2020, when the current commission term ends.

Officials have also said they would deal with a $10 million SPLOST revenue shortfall and $6 million owed in bond payments by delaying some storm-water repairs and debt payments.

The new SPLOST would pay for dozens of projects ranging from closing the landfill to courthouse renovations to storm-water repairs. Revenue would also be used to improve various recreation centers and parks, roads and blight, along with other projects.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Rare fire station, sheriff’s building on Macon-Bibb agenda."