EDITORIAL: Oops, a word no one wants to hear

“Oops” is not what anyone wants to hear, but that’s exactly what was heard when someone had to break the news that a project -- Fire Station No. 111 on Donnan Road -- already woefully behind -- would have to start over from scratch because the site, already bought and paid for, cannot support the weight of fire fighting equipment. A typical ladder truck can weigh 65,000 pounds. Oops.

The new fire station to be built in east Macon was initially caught up in the transition to a consolidated government, but none of that really mattered and didn’t have anything to do with scraping the site. It has everything to do with someone at the county not doing the due diligence necessary before the check was cut to purchase the property.

Now that leaves the Macon-Bibb Commission with the job of finding a suitable site that fits the Fire Department’s criteria. Fire Chief Marvin Riggins and Commissioner Elaine Lucas have a preferred site in mind, but for obvious reasons, they can’t reveal its location. Having spent $99,500 on property it cannot use for the intended purpose, they also have to juggle where the rest of the money for the station will come from.

Before we pull out the six guns and blaze away at government ineptness, remember that none of the commissioners at the time were responsible for contracting with consultants to see if the land was suitable for a fire station. That fell to someone else, who obviously made a $99,500 mistake. Not only a mistake, but they violated Rule No. 1: Never embarrass your boss. Whoever that was, it is unknown whether they are still employed by Macon-Bibb County.

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 10:03 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: Oops, a word no one wants to hear ."