Past, present, and future all got their due Monday afternoon at the dedication of Putnam County’s new three-building, $6.5 million complex that now serves as the headquarters and hub for the county’s fire department, ambulance service, and coroner’s office.
The ceremonies featured two dedications. The second came with naming the third building the “Gary McElhenney Coroner’s Office” in honor of current county commissioner McElhenney’s 34-year run as county coroner.
Technically dubbed “Fire Station No. 10,” the complex is located on the low hill behind the county administration building off the U.S. 441 north of Eatonton.
At least 200 people attended the dedication ceremonies.
The past – as in “how far we’ve come” – showed up in brief anecdotes from some speakers whose youth was spent here. The present came in tributes to the commitment and sacrifices of all the county’s current and past public safety personnel. The future, in technology and equipment, faces a wide array of emergencies that may, or may not, ever come.
The main speaker, Commission Chairman Bill Sharp, called the facility and its inhabitants “a significant milestone in our community’s commitment to safety and preparedness,” as well as “a testament to our collective belief in the importance of protecting and preserving life,” and “a significant investment in our community’s future.”
Sharp concluded, “Let us remember that the true measure of our success lies not in the bricks and mortar of this building, but in the lives we touch every single day. May this fire station stand as a symbol of hope and reassurance, reminding us that in times of crisis, we can depend on the unwavering courage and dedication of our brave firefighters.”
At the coroner’s office dedication, fellow county commissioner Jeff Wooten recalled accompanying McElhenney to a Macon mortuary after a July 4 incident years ago.
Macon was the closest place to take the body.
“It reminds me of where we’ve come from to today,” Wooten said.
McElhenney himself recalled first being elected in 1985 after two unsuccessful tries for the office. When he finally was elected, though, nothing came with it – “no pencils, no paper, no camera, no nothing” – and when he did get an 8 feet by 10 feet office space, it was in the basement of the old hospital building on West Marion Street. “The one with the asbestos,” he quipped.
Today, the new coroner’s office has a dedicated entry, separate waiting and viewing rooms, an office for current Putnam County Coroner Hollis Harrison, plus bays for equipment and a refrigerated six-unit mortuary.
The rest of the afternoon was essentially an open house for visitors.
As visitors left, they were asked what caught their attention. Some of their replies included: Former county commissioner Bob Landau: “A magnificent site, a magnificent facility. There’s not another county in the state that can hold a candle to it. It adds immensely to what can attract people here.”
Forsyth County’s Mark Henley, who delivers new fire trucks around the state: “A very nice structure, an excellent job of designing. There are some excellent facilities around the state, and this is right up there with them.”
Beth Mayer and Debbie Lathrop, are recent transplants from New Jersey and Colorado.
“The boats. We were excited to see them so they could have access to the lakes so quickly,” Mayer said.
Heavy equipment operator Payne Davis: “The technology. And a high-grade facility. All this is not generally around.”
Katie Murphy, daughter of Putnam County Fire Chief Thomas McClain, whose 10-year plan was instrumental in his getting the fire chief’s job back home in Putnam: “The boats,” she echoed. "They are a great change. They show how far the county has come.”
About 60 percent – $4 million – of the $6.5 million funding for the facility’s construction and equipping originated from the county’s general fund (not SPLOST sales taxes), according to county Finance Director Linda Cook. The remaining $2.5 million was funded through the county’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies.