A community meeting on Wednesday night left golfers and neighbors at Cotton Fields Golf Course angry over the county’s concept to convert the property into a public safety campus. Plans would include a new fire training academy, new E-911 center and other buildings.
Henry County purchased the property in 2007 for $22 million dollars. The intent at the time was for future county buildings.
Public Safety Campus
Henry County Fire Rescue Chief Jonathan Burnette and Parks & Recreation Cluster Lead JP Penn led the Wednesday night meeting. They presented the county’s concept for a new public safety campus on the property. The layout is conceptual at this time and building placement is not final.
At its center, the campus would have a new fire training academy. Chief Burnette explained the county does not presently have a training center. The previous fire center was built by county firefighters some twenty years ago and had to be condemned. Should the county not build a new facility, it will negatively affect the department’s ISO score, or ranking, at their next evaluation. The ISO score is a factor in everyone’s homeowners’ insurance rates.
The fire training center would also include a burn building and driving pad. The burn building allows firefighters to simulate fire conditions, typically with gas or wood, for training. Chief Burnette assured those present that a burn building does not put off the black smoke seen at house fires.
Secondly, the county needs a new E-911 center. The county’s current E-911...
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