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County commission moves closer to new fire station in Green Cove

By Nick Blank nick@claytodayonline.com
Posted 9/14/22

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Southern Green Cove Springs is a step closer to the construction of a new fire station following a land sale approved by the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday …

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County commission moves closer to new fire station in Green Cove


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Southern Green Cove Springs is a step closer to the construction of a new fire station following a land sale approved by the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday night.

Clay County Fire Rescue Station 24, located at 5105 Sweat Road, is a 1,960- square-foot facility consisting of two apparatus bays, according to the county. The entire structure was completed in 1983, though the station’s living quarters were added in 2015.

The parcel, which belonged to Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, is 5.53 acres north of the fire station. The closing price was $193,550.

CCFR Chief Lorin Mock said fire stations usually need three-to-four acres, depending on nearby structures and stormwater retention. He said it’s difficult to find large spaces in the county for emergency response.

“The existing station at Virginia Village is a volunteer station. It essentially started as a shed they stored the apparatus in. We added on a manufactured area that’s a home built on stilts on the side of a hill. It was a temporary facility,” Mock said. “We hoped to have it replaced by now and we’re getting into that.”

Mock said the county made the approach next door to the church and the church was amenable throughout the process. The site is approximately an acre of usable space currently and could rise to six acres of usable space when it’s completed.

“They had an area adjacent to (the station) they hadn’t been using, a former ballfield they built back there and some other areas,” Mock added. “It availed us with an opportunity to basically do a replacement on-site without having to move things, so we believe it represents some reasonable economies of scale here where we can really keep the station in operation and build a replacement on-site.”

In other business, the county unanimously approved extending its banking services agreement with Wells Fargo for three years. The county’s previous contract with the bank was from 2017-2022.

Clerk of Court Tara Green said Wells Fargo’s system connects to the county’s relatively new management system, Workday.

“We don’t disagree that at some point it does need to go out for an (Request for Quote), this is just a timing issue for baking services, which is outside any of the investment services that we’re making,” Green said.

Administrative and Contractual Services Director Karen Thomas said the agreement outlines what is essentially the county’s checking account. She said there is a comfortable level with Wells Fargo’s system and its fees, important since millions of dollars flow through the county’s accounts payable and payroll.

“It’s like what we use to pay the bills,” Thomas relayed to commissioners.

“From where I’m sitting I just wanted to make sure we dot our i’s and crossed our t’s on this stuff,” Chairman Wayne Bolla added. “There’s a lot of money there.”