The City of Clinton is moving closer to opening and dedicating the renovated Fuller Fire Station on the Springdale Drive by-pass, city council was told Monday evening.
Fire Chief Jeremy Marshall led the council through a PowerPoint showing the extensive renovations to the station, which is manned 24/7/365 by two firefighters. Conditions there had become undesirable for the firefighters to live there, so they moved out into a camper on the site while renovations were done. The camper will be sold by the city.
Marshall showed photos of what the fire station looked like and what it looks like now. It will continue to be named the Fuller Fire Station, and Ronnie Fuller’s family will be invited to the station’s dedication in the coming weeks. It has passed inspections, Marshall said.
Right now, the work left to do is signage, and the installation of a metal sign for the building. It has a generator and a tankless water heater, a bath and a half, small kitchen, tables that can double as computer stations and dinner tables, lockers, and a full washer/dryer.
Marshall said firefighters are expected to come to work in street clothes and change into their uniforms, then when the shift ends change out of their uniforms and wash them. All uniforms will be stored on-site.
There are two bunks in the firehouse and space for two more bed frames in case the satellite station has to be over-staffed in the case of storms or other emergencies.
The firefighters have the responsibility of keeping the firehouse clean. The only addition to the building’s footprint is a rear closet to house a lawnmower and equipment.
Marshall made his report at the Clinton City Council’s regular monthly meeting. The council also approved a $565,000 expenditure for new body cameras and car dashboard cameras to replace a 10-12 year old system whose server is failing. It will come from a different vendor than the system currently in use.
City Manager Joey Meadors said $105,000 toward the first installment will come from a dedicated fund of $348,000 set aside for training and equipment. Future payments will be included in the city’s budget (and grant funds will be applied for).
Meadors said the current system cannot be sold because of the server failure. It works, but it’s not as fast as needed for police and investigative work, he said.
“This is important for accountability,” Mayor Randy Randall said.
There were no comments on agenda items for this meeting. Council issued two proclamations: Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month and Bicycling and Pedestrian Awareness Month. Members of the ATAX Committee were approved; they examine applications from tourism-related groups and recommend funding from accommodations taxes (1 cent on the dollar) for projects designed to promote tourism. Council re-appointed Scott Taylor to the zoning board of appeals.
Council gave final reading to annexation and zoning on the .33 acre property on the Jacobs Highway where Self Regional intends to build a medical facility, and changed the zoning of the old company store in Lydia Mill from a residential designation to office-professional.
Meadors told council that he will apply for a $25,000 SC Municipal Association problem-solving grant - with a $1,250 city match - to develop a master plan for the downtown business district. The master plan idea originated from a recent council strategic planning session.
Council Member Anita Williams thanks Police officers for attending a National Night Out event in the Lydia community, and said as cooler weather approaches, community groups will be offering Saturday free meals at the Open Door and will collect socks, gloves and sanitizer for homeless people - “we have a big problem of homelessness in Clinton, and we have no transitional shelter,” she said.
Council Member Danny Smith said after a recent Sunday power outage, he received feedback from residents that the City’s response could not have been better, to include traffic control and restoring the power. And Randall said the council has been invited to the President’s Box at Bailey Memorial Stadium on Nov. 22 and informed council that the brother of former county council member David Tribble, of Clinton, was killed in a weekend bicycle accident.
