Commissioners approve location for EMS headquarters

LAURINBURG — A location has been determined for the construction of a new EMS headquarters in Scotland County and it’s not far from the existing one.

Commissioners unanimously voted in approval of the spot per the recommendation of Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc., an engineering firm with locations in Charlotte and throughout South Carolina. The county’s Public Safety director, Robert Sampson, presented the recommendation during their monthly business meeting held this week.

“After they had done their due diligence they submitted to us their recommendation as far as site location,” Sampson said.

The recommendation makes room for an 18,000-square-ft. facility adjacent to the Emergency Operations Center, located at the county’s complex. It will include an ambulance ban, office as well as living quarters.

“It’s all going to be located at what I would say is the south side of the property (EOC) which is really truly right outside this door … and also around so like an L shape facing West Boulevard,” Sampson said.

Sampson said there are two reasons the recommended location is ideal.

“Number one, this allows us to stay in our current building and continue operations during the construction phase,” he said.

The second reason is that the site avoided underground utilities.

“If we have to take into consideration relocating (utilities it) will cost us a substantial amount of money,” Sampson told the commissioners.

During the decision-making process, Sampson said it was his department’s plan to stay on the campus where the current facility is located.

“It was my goal and is my goal, that we stay somewhere on this campus because by doing so it keeps us as centrally located in the county as we can possibly be from a response standpoint because being right here gives us easy access to go north, south, east or west or respond anywhere within the city,” Sampson said.

The location makes room for more or less 18,000-ft. facility, however, the size of the facility won’t be determined until Requests for Qualifications are returned and a contractor can determine cost estimates.

When asked by Commissioner Ed O’Neal how the department determined the 18,000-square-ft. benchmark, Sampson said that he visited several different facilities throughout the region.

“We actually went out to multiple different counties and looked at multiple EMS facilities that had been built over the last five years… We looked at some from 10,000 square ft. to 32,000 square ft. and then we kind of took into consideration what our needs are and what we want to see in this facility,” Sampson said.

Commissioner Darwin Williams asked if Sampson was prepared for growth.

“One hundred percent of this is preparing for future growth,” Sampson said.

Back in August Sampson told the commissioners the county’s application for a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Grant was denied, however $6.5 million is earmarked from the state for the construction of the project.