The Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved spending $975,000 to purchase around 3.5 acres of land on Sewell Mill Road at East Piedmont Road for the relocation of Fire Station 20.
The measure was passed on the commission’s consent agenda.
According to an agenda item, the Cobb Fire Department eventually wants to replace the current station at 1298 Hilton Drive—on Sewell Mill Road between East Piedmont and Old Canton Road—that was built in 1984.
That’s eight-tenths of a mile to the west of the property for the potential new site that has owned by the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA.
“To meet response needs and Fire Department’s strategic goals, this station will need to be relocated,” the agenda item states. “While the station construction will not begin immediately, this parcel of land at Sewell Mill Road and East Piedmont intersection is an ideal location for the future station.”
The item also states that the funding for the property acquisition will come from the Cobb Fire Fund, and construction of the new station would commence “in a future budget cycle.”
Last year commissioners rejected a rezoning request for those parcels to become a residential senior living development.
Fire Station 20 has been mentioned in the current East Cobb Cityhood referendum campaign.
Although located in what would remain unincorporated Cobb, Station 20’s current service area includes neighborhoods that are included in the proposed City of East Cobb.
The proposed city would have two fire stations—currently Cobb 15 and 21.
Cobb Fire officials have said at county-sponsored cityhood town halls that slower response times are likely in the City of East Cobb, but a financial feasibility study didn’t provide enough details.
The Committee for East Cobb Cityhood has worked up a page with fire and emergency services information in part to counter a cityhood page created by Cobb government that cityhood leaders includes misleading information.
Last week, Cobb government launched a “World Class” web page to tout the Cobb Fire Department on its 50th anniversary.
The East Cobb cityhood group protested, sending out a letter last week alleging the county is actively campaigning against cityhood and demanding those activities stop.
The letter included a reference to an “audacious” sign posted in front of Fire Station 21, which is part of the East Cobb Government Service Center.
That’s where early voting is taking place through May 20.
“Because the Cityhood referendum is on the ballot in that very building, the sign is an illegal piece of campaign material that must be removed at once,” stated the letter to Cobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid. “It is no coincidence that the only fire station with such a sign as of May 4, 2022 is the one where early voting is occurring.”
When East Cobb News drove by Station 20 on Friday to take the above photo for this story, the same sign had been placed there.
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