By Charlene Spelts
The Third Reading by Greenville County Council to transfer 15.8 acres of County Property to the Piedmont Public Service district was unanimously approved on Tuesday November 18.
The property located in the 100 block of Piedmont Hwy., is the future home of the headquarters of the district. Building a new fire department headquarters at this location will be more economical than renovating and adding onto the existing building located at 1 Hwy. 86.
The current station was built in 1972 and no longer meets current needs. The new location will allow for safer and more accommodating housing for firefighters and will be a training facility for firefighters in the area, including water rescue training on the Saluda River. The facility will allow for the garaging of additional vehicles as needed due to the growth in the Piedmont Area
Chief Tracy Wallace describes the long-term potential of the facility as one that will “carry the district forward for the next 20 – 25 years. It is needed to accommodate the ongoing housing growth in our area.”
According to Chief Wallace and members of the Commission, this location will serve as better access to all areas within the district and improve the response time to the south end of the district.
Cleanup of the property should begin in the next few weeks. The completed project date is several years out.
The Board of Commissioners for the Piedmont Public Service District wishes to extend their thanks to all members of the Greenville County Council for making this improvement to public safety possible. Special thanks is extended to Councilman Rick Bradley for making this proposal possible.
