BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County Manager Scott Kornegay lauded the county’s public-private partnership with Vincent Esson and the Keystone Heights RV Resort, which will help turn Station 10 into a fully functioning fire rescue hub.
Esson approached the commission last year with an offer to build living quarters at no cost to the county. A groundbreaking ceremony was held March 4.
Stationing a crew at the Speedville station will improve firefighting and EMS coverage for the RV resort and southern end of Bradford County.
Station 10 was completed and dedicated to the former tax collector, the late Teila Norman Pearson, in 2019. Pearson helped found a satellite office in the area that was moved into Station 10, which was built on land donated by Santa Fe College. Since the dedication, the satellite office has been up and running in Speedville, but the lack of a separate living quarters has prevented a full-time fire rescue team from being stationed there.
Officials were pleased with the turnout and public support for the groundbreaking on Monday.
“The turnout was phenomenal,” the county manager said. “I really didn’t expect that level of support from the community.”
Kornegay said construction will be in full swing within a couple of weeks, thanking Esson once again.
“A lot of people are unaware that this is not costing the county anything. It’s fully funded by private dollars,” he said.
County Chairwoman Carolyn Spooner also expressed gratitude to Esson and excitement that progress is being made on the unfinished project. She also thanked Bradford County Fire Rescue Chief Ben Carter and his employees, saying they deserve it.
Commissioner Danny Riddick has championed the Speedville station from the beginning. He shared his gratitude and excitement for this next phase.
“I can’t wait to get it done and use those buildings for what they were designed to be used for and that’s to help people and save lives,” he said.
Theressa and Sampson City
Similar improvements at other stations will be paid for by the state. Sheriff Gordon Smith obtained a legislative allocation to expand and improve the station at Heilbronn Springs when he was over the fire department. Carter has since sought and received permission to use the remaining $789,000 to add living quarters to the Station 20 in Theressa and Station 50 in Sampson City.
According to the proposal he submitted, Carter said, “There are currently ‘construction site office’ type buildings that are functioning at both sites. … These portable style buildings have been on site since 2019 and are not a sustainable solution for housing personnel long term. The ultimate goal of the project is to remove these portable buildings and construct ‘brick and mortar’ living quarters.”
In addition to improved living conditions, Carter stated the project would enhance public safety and disaster preparedness and response from more energy efficient structures.
The current deadline for the project is June 2025.
In other business, the commission:
—approved acceptance of a $78,000 state grant to provide employee training and automated CPR devices for Bradford County Fire Rescue.
—approved spending $40,000 in Tourist Development Tax revenue on a MERV — an emergency medical response cart that can maneuver through crowds at festivals and other public events. The tourist, or bed, tax is the 4% added to the bill for overnight accommodations lasting fewer than six months, so they are generally paid by visitors, not residents.
Bed tax revenue is usually used to promote local events to create more tourism in Bradford County, which in turn brings revenue to businesses. Visible public safety also makes people feel better coming to the county, according the TDC request. Pam Whittle said it will be used even more as visitation increases.
“To me, it’s reassuring to invite somebody over and they know they’ll come into a safe place,” she said.
Bradford County Fire Rescue has two aging MERV units from 2001 and 2008. The first was acquired from the former Keystone Heights volunteer firefighters and the second was purchased with grant funding.
