Committees approved agreements with the City of Augusta and Gold Cross, Tuesday morning, for the consent agenda of the next Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting.
During the monthly meeting for the county’s Community and Emergency Services Committee, chaired by Commissioner Alison Couch, Fire Services presented before the committee a proposed five-year agreement between the fire departments of Columbia County and Augusta to provide aid in response to fires and other emergencies—considering the two counties’ contiguous boundaries—and to take part in joint exercises.
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Fire Services noted, in response to a question from Couch, that Augusta would allow Columbia County firefighters to ride with them in the event of emergencies warranting mutual aid.
Fire Rescue also proposed an agreement with ambulance service Gold Cross, which would allow prospective emergency medical technicians to ride along with Gold Cross EMS as part of their required licensure training.
During the Public Works and Engineering Services Committee meeting which immediately followed, chaired by Commissioner Michael Carraway, the committee approved an agreement with Georgia Power to upgrade of more than 240 streetlights in 12 areas throughout the county.
Engineering Services Director Kyle Titus noted that replacing outdated high-intensity lights with light-emitting diodes (LED) would save the county more than $2,600 per year in utility costs. Areas slated for the improved streetlights include Evans Towne Center, Champions Retreat and Northridge.
Titus also presented requests from the Stormwater Utility Department to approve two contracts, one with CaJenn Construction and another with Southeast Pipe Survey, for the rehabilitation of corroded metal pipe in the Pheasant Run subdivision, respectively for the first and second phase of the Pheasant Run Stormwater Rehabilitation project. Both contracts would total more than $1.2 million.
The items are all on the consent agenda for the Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 2.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
