In a work session on April 11 at the county commission building, Putnam County department heads and representatives made their pitches before the Putnam County Board of Commissioners, explaining projects and/or acquisitions they would like to see funded over the next six years if a successful, renewed SPLOST 10 initiative passes in November.
A brief overview of requests made by several departments, including Animal Services, Emergency Medical Services, County Extension Services, Public Works, and Putnam General Hospital, was presented in The Eatonton Messenger last week.
The remaining department requests are presented here.
Putnam County Fire Department (PCFD) Chief Thomas McClain began by explaining that homeowners' insurance ratings are at least partially determined by each home’s proximity to a fire station.
“If you don’t live within five road miles of an actual fire station, then you don’t get credit for having a fire department,” he stated.
McClain pointed out that because Putnam County covers approximately 345 square miles, the current county fire station coverage density is adequate, though just barely. Large regions of the county are not within a five-mile radius, he added.
“Luckily for us, we have a lot of national forest that doesn’t affect, so the number of population that’s outside of five road miles is a relatively small percent,” McClain continued. “I’m sure that’s not comforting for those people when they pay their homeowner’s insurance, but our station locations currently serve the masses of our population as well as they can with what they have.”
So, ideally, the chief would like to add more fire stations, but he recognized it’s not a current priority and turned his attention instead to bolstering the current county fire fleet. McClain said the PCFD currently has three fire trucks that are 1994-1996 models and should be replaced as soon as possible.
“The guys have done a great job of taking care of them, but those trucks are now 30 years old and all the parts on them are 30 years old, and when we start putting some miles on them, they start to break. Plus, there’s been some pretty significant advances in technology since 1996 as well,” he added.
With a lead time of up to six years, fire truck orders must always be placed with the future in mind, McClain said, adding that he’s awaiting delivery on two trucks from prepaid orders placed in 2022 and last year. He said PCFD is currently working on a 10-year plan to introduce and rotate new vehicles through its fleet.
Next, Putnam County Recreation Director Scott Haley addressed the commissioners, accompanied by Uncle Remus Golf Course Manager Michael Benton.
Haley said his department had six items on its potential SPLOST 10 list, beginning with updated lighting for its athletic fields, including Jimmy Davis Park (JDP), which still sports wooden poles and outdated hardware. Adding modern LED-based lighting also would extend the time each field could be used, he explained.
Next, Haley said the demand for more pickleball courts continues unabated, adding that the primary Putnam Recreation Center has already hosted four pickleball tournaments this year.
“We talked about building six to eight courts, or even more if we can fit into a certain spot,” Haley said. “So, we’re excited about that, and I think that’s something we definitely need, dedicated pickleball courts.”
He also suggested that the main rec center gym requires renovation, as it has remained essentially the same since 1996 when the facility opened.
“We can’t sand [the gym floor] down any further. It’s very thin and starting to deteriorate on the edges. Replacing it at some point is going to happen,” Haley said before adding, “The bleachers are old as well, and to replace the court, the bleachers have got to come out, too, so it’d be a good time to put new bleachers in with it.”
Haley mentioned that a new playground set is needed, too, something similar to what was installed at JDP last year, although probably a little larger to accommodate more children and those who are older.
Also at Jimmy Davis Park, Haley said the big item there is replacing the fence around the ball field, which he said is leaning in several locations where people tend to lean on it. He suggested increasing the height from its current four feet to six feet would significantly improve its resilience and appearance.
Finally, the sixth item on Haley’s list would be adding restrooms to the central Rec Center Park.
“Right now, everybody uses our gym for the bathrooms. So, if you’re on the far corners [of the playing fields], you’ve got to come to the gym,” he explained. “And it’ll help us when the gym’s closed. The bathrooms could be open periodically, but it’s something where you don’t have to run a long way or go far to miss your child’s event. Or even a participant needs to use a bathroom real quick. But I think that’s something we definitely could use out there.”
When it was Benton’s turn to speak, he admitted upfront to the commissioners, “Most of these are not fun projects, but they are necessary large infrastructure projects.”
He began by saying the golf course needs an updated irrigation system that could cost up to $550,000. Benton explained that the current irrigation system was installed around 1990 and is showing its age, with frequent leaks to patch and outdated technology.
“We have cast iron [pipes] running under a few portions of the course on the right-hand side, and that was actually a surprise to us when we came in one morning and there was a fountain in a pond where there shouldn’t be one,” Benton said.
He added that the course maintenance and storage buildings also need repair, but questioned the value of investing more money in them, since they date back to the 1960s.
When questioned by District 2 Commissioner Richard Garrett about URGC’s profitability, Benton conceded it has yet to become a moneymaking venture.
“Four years ago, I said I couldn’t ever promise you that it would make money, but what we have done is looking at this year, we will have tripled the amount of money coming into the course,” Benton said. “So, last year we had over 17,500 rounds, which is
more rounds of golf than I think they had ever done before. The records I have going back said they averaged about 11,000 rounds a year. So, we’re coming very close to doubling that this year; we’re about 20 percent over last year’s numbers.”
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills stepped forward next and wasted no time getting to the point.
“Gentlemen,” he began, addressing the commission, “I will say this, if I had as many deputies as we have firemen, there wouldn’t be any crime in this county.”
Sills then mentioned the well-known plan to convert the current sheriff’s office and jail into a strictly jail facility with him and his deputies moving to a new location, perhaps just across the road to Tri-County EMC’s facility once it’s vacated.
Revamping and expanding the current jail and office space is expected to cost upwards of $9.5 million.
Of more immediate concern to the sheriff, though, was adding manpower and machines to his department’s capabilities.
“We’re at a point now where we’re so short-staffed, there are only two or three deputies on duty at any time. Usually it’s two,” Sills said. “We travel over 5,000 miles a month outside of Putnam County, not counting any county that touches Putnam County, transporting prisoners all over the state, transporting people on emergency medical proceedings. And when that happens, if only three deputies are working, then there are only two here. If only two deputies are working, then there’s only one. That’s where we are.”
After a brief discussion among commissioners on potential jail-building options with Sills, the sheriff stressed that while it remains a necessity, it is secondary to his concerns.
“Gentlemen,” he repeated. “This is not my need, and this is not my want. Nothing’s going to help me except personnel. Okay? But I think with the potential of acquiring the property across the street, what I’m saying is, you’ve kind of got some potential advantages here that you might not have again.”
Finally, Susan Campbell, who manages Oconee Springs Park with her husband, Lonnie, approached the commission. And like so many of her county department peers who stressed aging infrastructure as their biggest problem, Campbell echoed that concern.
“Our facilities are in kind of rough shape. They’re old, our bathhouses, some of the block walls are deteriorating,” she said. “So, we desire to use funds that are collected through this SPLOST to build newer facilities, a new retail store, and we’d like to add some additional rental capabilities.
Campbell said OSP now has eight one-bedroom cabins, which typically remain booked all summer long, forcing her to turn people away consistently.
“I’d really like to see at least a two-bedroom cabin where we could accommodate six or eight people to sleep that way,” she said. “You’d see bigger families coming, which generates more income on a nightly basis.”
All told, over nearly two hours, Putnam County commissioners heard and considered lengthy SPLOST 10 wish lists from Putnam County department heads.
Next comes the hard part.