Plans are moving forward toward development of a fire hall in the Four Seasons community.

Members of the county budget committee met Monday night and voted to recommend to the county commission that the project be funded using $100,000 already allocated plus an additional $100,000 from the capital projects fund.

County Mayor Tim Stribling said bids were opened for the fire hall on March 29 and two were received including one for $284,000 from Preston Brothers of Woodbury and $197,000 from FTM Contracting of Cookeville.

According to County Mayor Stribling, plans call for the fire hall to be 40’ x 55’ in size consisting of two bays, a restroom, shower, and a small meeting room. He said while the plans do not include any frills it will be a turnkey project with all the work including construction, concrete pad, septic tank, etc all to be done under one contract.

The budget committee voted 4 to 1 to recommend to the county commission that the project move forward with the lowest bidder. Joe Johnson, Jack Barton, Wayne Cantrell, and Jerry Adcock voted in favor, Jimmy Midgett voted no apparently because he thought the bids came in too high.

County Mayor Stribling said if the county commission gives its blessing, the low bidder will be notified and the project will shortly thereafter get underway.

A new fire station at Four Seasons would be the 12th station in the county operated by the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department. The other fire halls are on Short Mountain Highway, Midway Community, Belk, Keltonburg, Cookeville Highway, Austin Bottom Community, Liberty, Temperance Hall, Main Station, Johnson Chapel, and Blue Springs.

The Cookeville Highway Station of the DeKalb County Volunteer Fire Department will soon be getting a newer fire truck.

During Monday night’s meeting of the County Commission’s Emergency Services Committee, Fire Chief Donny Green said plans are to assign the 1992 truck purchased from the City of Smithville last week to Cookeville Highway to replace a 1987 truck there.

According to Chief Green, the fire department will follow a longstanding policy of addressing fire truck needs at county fire stations that have been waiting the longest for upgrades.

“My recommendation is that it (fire truck) be placed in the same manner that we have done in the past. That it go to the next station due an upgrade,” said Chief Green.

Although no vote was taken, members of the committee said they supported Chief Green’s decision.

The Smithville Aldermen last Monday night awarded the county’s bid of $30,000 to purchase the city’s oldest fire truck. The city has bought a new one to replace it.

“That truck is a 1992 model and has 17,000 miles on it. That is going to make us a good truck for a lot of years,” said Chief Green.

The 1987 fire truck currently located at the Cookeville Highway Station will now be relocated to the Austin Bottom Community Fire Hall to replace a 1979 model truck. Chief Green said the 1979 truck will replace the county’s 1974 reserve fire truck at the Main Station. The 1974 truck is expected to be declared as surplus property and sold at a later time.

The county bought the Smithville Fire truck with money from a USDA Community Facility Grant and still has enough funds to buy at least one and maybe two more fire trucks after having been approved for a second USDA grant.

Plans are to use the money from the second grant to purchase a truck for a new fire hall to be built in the Four Seasons Community.

Nine students were named today as the DeKalb West School Students of the Month for April. Academic achievement, excellent character, and other traits made the following students stand out as some of the best at DeKalb West: Charley Prichard, Kindergarten, Levi Cripps, 1st grade, Jayden McCowen, 2nd grade, Hunter Ballew, 3rd grade, Hudson Moss, 4th grade, Avery Agee, 5th grade, Alex Antoniak, 6th grade, Chevelle Lockwood, 7th grade, and Nathaniel Crook, 8th grade.

Pictured front row left to right are Jayden McCowen, Hudson Moss, and Charley Prichard.

Back row left to right are Hunter Ballew, Alex Antoniak, Nathaniel Crook, Chevelle Lockwood, Avery Agee, and Assistant Principal Joey Agee. Not pictured: Levi Cripps.