Millions of dollars in potential SPLOST projects proposed

Oct. 16—Members of the Whitfield County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) Committee convened on Thursday, Oct. 12, to discuss potential projects.

"The committee, comprised by residents and appointed by the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners and the city councils of Dalton, Varnell, Tunnel Hill and Cohutta, has been tasked with reviewing project proposals on a potential ballot initiative next May to extend the 1% SPLOST," Bruce Frazier stated in a Friday, Oct. 13, press release. "The SPLOST was approved by voters in 2020 and will sunset next October. If voters approve, SPLOST will continue for four more years and fund projects selected by elected officials after recommendations from the committee."

Whitfield County Emergency Management Agency (WCEMA) Director David Metcalf recommended the purchase of new portable radios.

"A SPLOST measure approved by voters in 2015 funded the creation of a new digital radio network for first responders that dramatically improved emergency communications within Whitfield County, virtually eliminating 'dead zones' where emergency personnel were unable to send and receive radio transmissions," Frazier stated. "The radio network itself is still in good working order, but the individual radios used by police, fire, EMS and public works personnel are reaching the end of their useful lives."

The press release indicates more than 1,100 radio units are currently in use in the county, of which 638 are handheld devices.

"Replacing all 1,157 radios would cost approximately $8 million, while only replacing the portables would cost approximately $4.8 million," Frazier said.

Metcalf also proposed the construction of a new storage facility to maintain vehicles and equipment that, otherwise, would be left exposed to the outdoor elements.

He said the WCEMA recently spent $50,000 on repairs to a mobile command vehicle — which was initially acquired for roughly $600,000 in 2005.

"Construction of a 2,900-square-foot 'pole barn'-type storage structure would cost approximately $85,000, thanks to an estimated $30,000 in savings by having county personnel handle the construction work," Frazier said.

Whitfield County Fire Department (WCFD) Chief Ed O'Brien suggested the purchase of four new pumper trucks and two new battalion chief vehicles.

"The cost to replace these vehicles would be approximately $3.4 million," the press release reads.

O'Brien also recommended spending $1.4 million to replace a facility used for department training exercises.

The department's current "burn building" was constructed in 2007.

"It's been burned so many times that it's got significant damage," O'Brien is quoted. "We've done two major remodels with it, but now it's time to replace it."

O'Brien also proposed spending about $1.6 million to replace the department's self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs).

"The department's current SCBAs are nine years old and are becoming more difficult and expensive to maintain," Frazier stated. "In fact, Chief O'Brien said that the department has already spent this year's budget for servicing the units due to rising costs."

Another departmental request — for various building maintenance and renovation projects — was tabbed at $550,000.

"Additional, lower priority requests presented by the WCFD for review included the purchase of a mobile air fill vehicle to resupply oxygen to SCBAs at incident sites ($485,000), water tender trucks with larger capacity water tanks ($1.4 million), an all-hazards rescue vehicle ($2.1 million), an additional aerial ladder truck for the west side of the county ($1.6 million) and the construction of a possible new Station No. 13 for the Beaverdale Road/Riverdale Road area to improve service in that area and lower insurance costs for neighboring residents," the press release continued.

At the meeting, Dalton Assistant City Administrator Todd Pangle recommended that funding be sought for the purchase of a new 100-foot aerial apparatus, which was tabbed at $2.6 million.

"Pangle said the department is working to order Tower 1's replacement now because it takes the supplier between 26 and 48 months to deliver new trucks," the release reads. "Pangle also said that by ordering the new apparatus soon, the city can expect to save money because prices for the vehicles are going up between 8% to 14% each year."

Pangle also expressed interest in potentially relocating the city's No. 2 fire department station.

The proposed site of the station would be further south along Abutment Road. Pangle said the relocation would also give the city the ability to expand its fire department training center.

"We plan to partner with the Dalton Police Department and have a public safety training center there, a place where we can add a gun range and be able to realize some savings for the city by being able to conduct more training in-house rather than having to rely on other jurisdictions and other venues," Pangle is quoted in the release. "We'll also be using (what is currently) Station No. 2 as our vehicle maintenance hub."

The proposed relocation and construction costs are estimated at $4.5 million.

Another SPLOST Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. at Edwards Park. That meeting will center on proposals from various law enforcement agencies throughout the community.

"The committee plans to begin work on its recommendations within the next month," Frazier noted.