RESIDENTS BACK NEW FIRE STATION

By Anna Lee
Staff Writer
zlee@greenvillenews.com
September 7, 2011
Section B2 -- http://bit.ly/poakca

Business owners and residents who came to Greenville County Square on Tuesday night all had one agenda: to support the Boiling Springs Fire District.

Each had three minutes or less to ask County Council to consider issuing a $2 million bond that would allow the fire district to buy a former church building on 208 Blacks Drive and renovate it into a fire station.

Some, including Milton Murphy, general manager of Speedway Packaging and Distribution, said a new fire station would help Boiling Springs keep its ISO rating of 1, the highest a department can achieve.

“If it were to drop, it would mean our insurance costs would go up, and we would have, basically, some choices to make,” Murphy said. “We can reduce our personnel at the site, or we have to raise our prices to our customers. Either way, it’s not good for us or the economy.” Claire Sizemore and Tim Greaves, a former firefighter, said the station’s proximity to heavily traveled Pelham Road and Interstate 85 would shave crucial minutes off emergency response times.

“The bottom line of this whole issue is life or death,” Sizemore said.

At issue is a fire district that spans 15 square miles across Greenville’s growing Eastside area. Its ISO rating will drop to 3 if a fourth station isn’t built soon, said Fire Chief Steve Graham.

“It was a godsend to find this piece of property with an existing building that we can renovate for about $2 million,” Graham said.

The general obligation bond would increase property taxes by $4.35 on a $100,000 owner-occupied home.

County Council members were divided on the issue during a Finance Committee meeting earlier this year.

Meadows and Councilman Sid Cates voted against the proposal, while Butch Kirven and Jim Burns voted in favor. Councilman Bob Taylor was absent but later cast the deciding 3-2 vote to allow the bond issuance to move forward.

A public hearing and second reading will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 4.

■ Staff writer Nathaniel Cary contributed to this report.