In a work session last Friday at the county commission building, Putnam County department heads and representatives made their pitches before the 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.
Up first was Animal Services Director Christine Tillman, who said her most pressing need was recovering the shelter’s roof, most recently estimated to cost approximately $120,000. However, that was an old quote, County Manager Paul Van Haute acknowledged.
Next, Brad Murphy of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) said his department typically has to replace one ambulance per year, currently at a cost of approximately $350,000 equipped. The lifespan of an ambulance is determined by mileage, which is approximately 300,000 miles, Murphy said.
“I put it on the upper end from our quotes, and also in there, it shows us a possible increase of manufacturing of 10% a year,” he explained to the commissioners. “But really unsure about that, including with tariffs and prices of metal nowadays.”
Murphy also said that the two support vehicles in his department will need to be replaced soon, with an expected cost of approximately $70,000 each once equipped with emergency lights and related equipment.
He added that the manufacturer has discontinued the department’s five Stryker cardiac monitors; however, they still can be serviced for the next five to seven years. Five new monitors would cost approximately $335,000 at today’s price, he said.
“Stryker usually has a normal increase of three percent every year, which manufactures those and our stretchers. The stretchers that we’re using today are roughly $20,000, but they have a new model, which is already out now and it’s $35,000,” Murphy said. “So, everything that they have is coming to a new model, and the price is doubling. What that will cost in five years, not sure, but you can easily add three percent onto any of these numbers per year.”
Finally, Murphy said that each of the Putnam County EMS ambulances and two service trucks also needs new radios installed, at a cost of approximately $5,000 each.
Putnam County Extension Services Coordinator Keith Fielder next stepped up to the podium and declared he needs a new building.
The current building on Godfrey Road was completed in 1966 and now leaks at several points, filling walls with water and breaking down concrete and brick supports, he said.
“We have been in there since February 4th, 2004, so that’s 21 years in a building that’s darn near as old as I am,” said Fielder, who was visibly ailing after a hospital visit just one day earlier. “Frankly, that’s about all I can say. We can do much better with a better facility, but if we don’t do something with that building soon, we’re not going to have a building, and that’s just the way it is.”
District 3 Commissioner Steve Hersey asked Fielder if he thought space in a repurposed building, such as the soon-to-be-decommissioned Putnam County Elementary School on South Washington Drive, would work for Extension Services.
Fielder answered, “Possibly,” but only if there was space to build a large kitchen for training purposes, plus a meeting room capable of handling at least 100 attendees.
“We handled over 4,500 inquiries last year just for agriculture, natural resources, and horticulture that came into the office, and you’re looking at the one that handled every one of those,” Fielder told the commission. “We also have about 1,200 kids enrolled in 4-H so far this year, and we’ve done six programs. All six of those programs were at capacity, and we put 35 people in that room for every one of them, and I did one of them twice. So, the need is there, our audience is there when we offer something.”
Anthony Frazier of Public Works next addressed the commission, opening by saying, “Everything on our list is equipment-based.” However, he added that it could involve a mixture of new and used equipment.
Frazier began by listing the need for a roller and water truck for dirt road maintenance, of which Putnam County has a little less than 50 miles remaining. He also expressed the need for a dump trailer for hauling aggregate, and a rubber-tired loader.
“Caterpillar is typically what we buy, and … the reason is serviceability. CAT also keeps its parts for longer than any other manufacturer of the equipment. You can buy a piece of equipment and keep it for 25 years,” Frazier explained.
However, he added, the county’s motor grader is now about 20 years old and currently out of service for repairs.
“We’re renting one right now,” Frazier said. “Other than that, the biggest issue that we’ll run into in the next six years is just the volatility of the market for something like a tandem dump truck. That market is always ridiculous for that, and it’s always an extended period to get anything. If I ordered a truck today, I probably wouldn’t see it for two years, and the price would potentially change between now and then as well. And I say ‘potentially,’ because it’s guaranteed it’s going to change.”
Next up was Putnam General Hospital CEO Alan Horton, aided by Chief of Staff Dr. Dan Bennett and Chief Nursing Officer Pam Douglas, with a list of needs ranging from $5,005 for infusion recliners up to more than $1.34 million to replace six rooftop air conditioners that also continuously clean the hospital’s interior air.
Other significant expenditures contributing to a $4.97 million total request, primarily due to replacements for end-of-service-life equipment at PGH, included $1.14 million for a wide-bore scanner with breast-scanning software, $630,00 for an 80-slice CT scanner, $530,000 for exterior enhancements including a new front portico and entry ramps for stretchers and wheelchairs, $318,000 to replace flooring and interior painting, and $273,000 for 3-D mammography equipment.
Both Horton and Bennett argued that though expensive, these outlays by the county would pay off by attracting more specialists, and in turn, more patients to Putnam General, to ensure its long-term existence and profitability.
“That opens up the floodgates because now you have more admissions where patients are using our PT and OT (physical and occupational therapy) services because now they’re having surgery at our hospital and not going up the road to Athens or Macon,” Bennett said.
See Part II of “County wish list …” next week.