Houston County commissioners go on a spending spree

PERRY -- The Houston County Commission spent millions of dollars Tuesday, including funding for new buildings, vehicles and equipment.

The biggest expense was a $2.6 million contract with International City Builders for a fire station on Ga. 247 and two hangars at the Perry-Houston County Airport. One of the hangars is for a Georgia State Patrol helicopter unit, and the other is for private planes.

The new fire station will be located next to Perdue Farms south of Bonaire.

The breakdown is $1.1 million for the fire station, $909,996 for the Georgia State Patrol hangar and $549,296 for the private-plane hangar.

The county also approved funding for a new John Deere 300G excavator for the road department, costing $237,430 from Flint Equipment Co. of Macon. The road department also received three new Ford F-350 crew cab trucks for $27,954 each from Perry Ford.

The sheriff's office got a new Ford F-250 truck for its bomb-sniffing dog unit. The truck, coming from Allan Vigil Ford in Morrow for $26,994, is paid for with a state grant.

The water department got a new Ford F-150 XL truck with an 8-foot bed for $20,451, and two new Ford F-150 XL trucks with 6-foot beds for $20,225 each. Brannen Motor Co. of Unadilla was the low bidder.

The fire department received $148,611 in new equipment, including defibrillators, trauma bags and thermal imagers, for two new fire trucks.

Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker said excavation work has already begun on the three buildings. With the approval of the contract, the buildings should start going up in January, he said.

The fire station and Georgia State Patrol hangar are expected to take about a year to finish. The hangar for private planes should be finished sooner. That hangar has been needed due to a backlog of people who have been seeking to keep their planes out of the weather. Rental fees will generate revenue for the airport.

The Georgia State Patrol hangar will provide sleeping quarters to crew members so they can respond quickly around the clock.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Houston County commissioners go on a spending spree ."