January 4, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Construction may soon begin on the new Liberty/Dowelltown Fire Hall now that the lease agreement has been approved and signed by leaders in the towns of Liberty and Dowelltown which jointly own the property where the new facility will be built.
During a meeting Wednesday night, members of the Dowelltown City Council approved a 99-year lease to the county for the entire 8.65-acre property formerly known as the old Liberty/Dowelltown Park off Highway 70 on West Main Street which is no longer in use. The Liberty Mayor and Aldermen signed off on the lease agreement during their meeting Monday night. Although the county commission has already allocated $382,912 in ARP funding for the project, it too must act on the lease agreement at the next commission meeting.
“We (county) are leasing the entire site under a 99-year lease for a dollar. The Liberty City Council passed it Monday night with no opposition. The lease was signed by Liberty Mayor Audrey Martin and notarized by Charlotte Bratten, their secretary. Tonight (Wednesday) the Dowelltown City Council adopted the lease and Vice Mayor Ron Griffith signed it in place of Mayor Pam Redmon, who has been in the hospital and was absent at the meeting. They too voted to approve it without opposition. We will now move on and get together with our engineer and see about getting the contract signed with Tim Pedigo who was awarded the bid to do the construction” said County Mayor Matt Adcock who attended both the Liberty and Dowelltown meetings. County Fire Chief Donny Green was at the Dowelltown meeting.
The new fire hall is expected to improve firefighting and EMS services in the western portion of the county. Under the plan the current Liberty Fire Hall located in downtown Liberty will be replaced by the new Liberty/Dowelltown Fire Hall and the new station will house a fire engine and a tanker truck. The fire hall could also serve as an EMS satellite station subject to the wishes of the county commission.