Published: July 01, 2008 10:24 pm      

County, City continue fire station talks

County and City officials continued new fire station talks on Monday morning in special session at the courthouse.

The Walker County Commissioners court met with Mayor J. Turner to conduct a workshop regarding each entity’s participation in the project.

The workshop stemmed from an additional monetary commitment from the county expressed during meetings over the past few months.

Additional — meaning in addition to the $246,487 required from the county for fire services as stated in the Interlocal Agreement for Public Safety Services approved in 2005.

The agreement, between the city and county, is set to expire Sept. 30, 2008.

Turner sought a formal commitment from the county regarding its offer as planning for the design and construction of the project is just around the corner.

According to the agreement, the city “will provide workspace for office personnel, vehicle bay space for units deployed within the Huntsville city limits and bunk space for on-duty EMS crews for said units. The city will be responsible for insurance and maintenance of these facilities.”

To remain in accordance with the agreement, no decision was made as to whether or not the county would commit to the additional monetary support.

Both the city and county representatives agreed that more discussions need to take place regarding negotiations of the agreement, timeline of the project and projected numbers.

“There’s no question that we have first rate emergency services,” Turner said. “Both the city and the county need to do what we can to make sure it stays that way for our residents.”

Precinct 2 Commissioner Robert Autery agreed.

“We’re here to serve the people,” he said.

Plans for the new fire station continue as the selected architect Joiner Partnership Inc. prepares a contract for approval by the Huntsville City Council.

Following approval, the fire station planning committee will begin working on architectural designs for the project.

During the meeting, the court also approved the minutes from the June 30, 2008, meeting and approved funds use for the HOME grant.