The renderings are drawn and the plan is set.
“The station we are going to build is a four bay station,” mentioned Chief Larue Hendrix, as he pointed at the renderings.
“Building that new station out there is going to give the coverage on our area within the 5 mile radius for all the stations we got,” he added.
You can just add the West Florence Fire Department to the list to get a new or upgraded fire station in Florence County.
“We have to go through Darlington to get through some of our areas out there so it’s going to help them a little bit better than what it used to be now,” Hendrix said.
With the help of the second penny sales tax, $1.5 million will go to the new West Florence station on Hoffmeyer Road.
“It would give everybody coverage on their ISO purposes and help them on their fire ratings,” explained Hendrix.
Three stations now make up the West Florence Fire District. Its coverage area spills into Darlington County.
However, there’s a legal battle brewing over the district.
Last year, Florence County Council put all its fire districts under one umbrella with all residents paying the same property tax.
However, many in West Florence said that would more than double their property taxes.
The state legislature then passed and Governor Haley signed a bill that cut West Florence from the countywide district.
The county followed up with a lawsuit to stop it.
Then this year, Representative Phillip Lowe introduced a bill that would add 90 parcels of the Darlington county fire district to West Florence.
Lowe says the goal is to limit confusion in the lawsuit and have the new station closer to its service area.
“We want it to look nice, like it belongs there,” said Hendrix.
After more than 40 years with the department, he is looking forward to the new station.
“Oh yeah, we will be well pleased when it gets built and take a little bit of pressure off of us,” he stated.
There are only 3 days left in the legislative session. Rep. Lowe says right now the bill is in the senate.
The county’s lawsuit could head to court by this fall. Construction on the new Hoffmeyer station is set to begin in September.
