SALUDA, S.C. — Saluda County's new public safety facilities plans have been scaled back following a failed referendum last year.
The county originally planned to build a combined EMS and fire headquarters and expand the sheriff’s office, but voters rejected the proposal.
"We put that to the voters with a referendum, and voters didn't approve it," said Saluda County Council Chair Jim Moore.
Now, the county is focusing solely on constructing a new EMS headquarters, according to Moore.
"We needed to build a new headquarters, so we scaled it down. We got a bare minimum project here. We took out the fire service part that we were going to put in," Moore said. "The voters didn’t want to build the sheriff headquarters, so I’m going to have to look for alternate funding to do that, too."
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and capital project funds will fund the project.
The current EMS facility, located under a nursing home and in operation since 1974, is no longer adequate, a problem they noticed during Hurricane Helene.
"We had EMS personnel sleeping in the hallway, supply room, and even the closet," said EMS Director Jacob Starnes.
The new headquarters will be located on Public Safety Lane, centralizing EMS operations near fire, law enforcement, and dispatch services and placing them in the heart of the county.
“One of the main things we’re trying to do is position Saluda County for the future,” Moore said.
The new EMS headquarters is expected to be completed by May 2025.