Latest Whitfield fire station under budget by about $55K

Published 7:35 am Tuesday, January 14, 2020

DALTON, Ga. — When the books were closed, Whitfield County Fire Station 12 came in under budget.

The Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 Monday to approve the final change order to Whitfield County Fire Station 12, reflecting that it came in $55,517 under its $1.765 million budget. The station, at 2446 S. Riverbend Road, opened in October.

Chairman Lynn Laughter typically votes only to break ties.

“We are very pleased by this,” said Commissioner Barry Robbins.

Fire Chief Edward O’Brien said the department kept costs down by doing some of the work itself.

“One big one was landscaping,” he said. “We sodded the yard ourselves instead of using a company.”

Commissioners also voted 4-0 to:

* Accept a $544,332 bid from Odin Technologies of Dalton to repair and replace the electronic control system at the Whitfield County Jail. Plans call for the county to reimburse itself with funds from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) planned for the May general primary ballot if voters approve that tax.

“We are told that, pending approval, preparatory work would begin almost immediately,” said Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Wesley Lynch. “This would involve purchasing hardware, programming and developing facility diagrams to use in the control systems. The actual installation process would occur in the future, with likely delays due to the fact that the whole system could not be shut down at once. That is, sections of the facility would be installed, one at a time, and then the process would begin in another module.”

• Approve a one-year, $83,700 contract with KRNW to provide foreign-language translation for Whitfield County Superior Court.

• Appoint Matthew Thames to serve as guardian ad litem in Whitfield County Juvenile court. The guardian ad item represents the interests of the child in court proceedings. He will receive $40,000 a year.

• Appoint Bart Barnwell, Bryan Rayburn and Joshua Smith as indigent defense attorneys for Whitfield County Juvenile Court. Each will receive $33,000 a year.

• Appoint David Pennington IV to a two-year term on the Dalton-Whitfield Planning Commission.

• Appoint David Jolly and Frank Robertson to one-year terms on the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority.

• Approve a request by April Ogle to rezone from general agriculture to low-density, single-family residential one acre at 2800 Dutch Lane in Tunnel Hill.

• Approve a request by Bart Rich to rezone from rural residential to high-density residential .34 acres on Francis Drive in Dalton.

• Approve a request by T. Mark Barnwell to rezone from rural residential to general agriculture five acres at 516 Brandon Drive in Resaca.

• Approve a request by Crow Road Holdings to rezone from general agriculture to low-density, single-family residential 61.77 acres on Crow Road, near Coahulla Creek High School. Developers plan to develop approximately 30 lots.

• Approve a request Brookside Holdings to rezone from general agriculture to low-density, single-family residential 38.83 acres located on Crow Road, near Coahulla Creek High School. Developers plan to develop approximately 15 lots.