The new county fire-training center will not have the driving course included in the original design and was supported by the county fire association.
In a 3-2 vote, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted to remove the driving course and instead increase the size of the concrete pad located around the burn tower to 285 by 300.
The original plans called for spending $1.08 million, while the new plan calls for spending $621,810 — a difference of $417,652.
The new design was approved with commissioners Bruce Yates and Chas Hardy and chairman Hunter Bicknell voting in favor of it. Commissioners Tom Crow and Dwain Smith voted against the new design.
Crow said the majority of the firefighters would rather have the original designed course, even if it was gravel instead of paved, instead of this new design.
Crow pointed out fire training center was on the ballot twice as part of a special purpose local options sales tax votes and passed both times.
After the vote was taken to change the plan, Smith said: “We are making a grave mistake … I hate for us to get in a pattern to change things when we’ve done approved it two or three times like it was … Driver training is certainly one of the most important things.”
Hardy, a 16-year veteran of the Commerce Fire Department, said the option approved was the best “compromise” on the issue.
“I believe the proposal before you is a compromise to provide driver training at a minimal cost,” he said. “It is not what we want, but it is what it is … It is not an ideal driving course, but it is a fair compromise to be able to have driver training at the complex.”
This newspaper should have been all over this when the last commissioner tried to stop this outrageous spending. The new guy is getting praise for trimming a little? The people voted for a $600,000 burn building. Maybe someone should bring that up.