Hall County officials have now broken ground on the site of the new Fire Station 1 on Gillsville Highway.
The new facility, which is expected to be finished in Fall of 2021, will replace to current building on Athens Highway, which is more than 50 years old. The project will cost just over $3 million and is being funded by SPLOST VII.
Hall County Fire Chief Chris Armstrong said the new facility is expected to be a major upgrade for the station.
"My job is to give the men and women of Hall County Fire Services the tools and equipment and the training that they need to actually make a difference in the field," Armstrong. "This is our way of making sure that we're providing that."
The new site is next to the entrance to Tadmore Park. Hall County Administrator Jock Connell said that the new fire station is part of what the county hopes will be a revitalization of the area.
"It's a park that's been closed for quite a while, Tadmore Park," Connell said. "If you go down to the entrance, you'll begin to see, we're doing a little sprucing up, we're doing a little cleaning up. So we really hope that between this fire station and Tadmore Park, that will be just an integral part and a foundation and an anchor to this community."
The groundbreaking ceremony was live streamed by the county, as in-person attendance was limited due to COVID-19 precautions.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/11/956791/hall-county-breaks-ground-on-new-fire-station-1