Fayette County

commissioners may be ready to approve a contract for four new fire stations

when they convene tomorrow night.

While impact

fees for a new Fayette County Jail appear dead in the water (see related

story), fees for fire services, which will be used to pay for the new

stations, seem to be sailing right along.

Tyrone Town

Council approved a new intergovernmental agreement to allow for the impact

fees Thursday night, and Woolsey's council approved it Monday. In a special

called meeting, Brooks Town Council was expected to approve the matter

Tuesday night, after The Citizen had gone to press.

"We hope

Department of Community Affairs)," said County Commission Chairman

Harold Bost this week.

Impact fees

are charged to developers to help pay the costs of new government services

and facilities made necessary by growth, thus reducing the need for property

tax increases.

The fees for

fire services would be levied only in unincorporated Fayette, plus Tyrone,

Brooks and Woolsey, because Fayetteville and Peachtree City have their

own fire departments.

Commissioners

last week delayed approval of a contract for $2.6 million to build the

four fire stations until tomorrow's meeting, waiting for final approval

of the fire impact fees by the three municipalities.

On the commission

agenda Thursday is the Department of Fire and Emergency Services' request

for a contract with Holley Construction Company to build the stations.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the County Administrative Complex.

Holley submitted

the low bid among contractors responding to the county's request for bids,

at $2.6 million.

All four stations

will be replacement facilities for current stations that are too small,

according to Jack Krakeel, director of the Department of Fire and Emergency

Services.

When many of

the department's stations were built 25 or 30 years ago, Krakeel said,

Fayette's firefighters were all volunteers. "They were totally volunteer

stations and living quarters weren't a consideration," he said.

But now, with

paid firefighters manning the stations on 24-hour shifts, the cramped

quarters have become a problem, Krakeel said.

Also, Station

1 on Ga. Highway 314 North is nestled into the foot of a dam, an unsafe

situation that needs to be remedied as soon as possible, Krakeel said.

Plans are to

build all the stations at one time, saving money by using a single contractor.

It will take

about 10 years to pay off the debt for the projects, using both impact

fees and the county's fire district tax.

In addition

to Station 1, facilities slated for replacement are:

Station 4

in Fayetteville, next to the county's court complex on Johnson Avenue.

The county already owns property on Seay Road for a new station, outside

the city limits of Fayetteville.

Station 5,

on Ga. Highway 85 near Bernhard Road. There's enough room at the current

location for a new building, Krakeel said.

Station 7

in Woolsey. Plans are to build the new Woolsey station on the grounds

of the county's new South Fayette Water Treatment facility, under construction

on Antioch Road.

Station 1 will

be an entirely new location, near the current facility on Hwy. 314, Krakeel

said.