CASSATT, S.C. — Back in October, we brought you the story about a possible 24-hour fire station coming to Cassatt. Well, months later, the project hit a roadblock, after frustration and confusion over its exact location were brought to the county's attention.
News19 was informed back in October, the station was going to be built on the land beside Dollar General on Route 1, and that's exactly where construction has begun.
There is, however, frustration over why on a 12 acre-property, was it built right at the end beside resident Jim Gadsby's home.
"Shock, shock." Those were Gadsby's thoughts when he heard the station was being built feet from his fence.
Gadsby said he received a call while he was on vacation last week from a concerned resident of Cassatt informing him construction had begun right next door.
It's hard to miss. The tree clearing and construction equipment sit right beside Gadsby's newly built fence.
"Well, I pass their residence every day on my way to work, and I first noticed it when the construction started," resident Caitlin Hutchinson said. "We had heard rumors of a fire station coming to Cassatt, which is great. The issue I noticed right away is how close it is to this house."
"The noise factor is one," Gadsby said. "It's a 24-hour facility. Anytime an accident occurs, at 2-3 in the morning, fire engines going in and out, sirens. I'm not opposed to having the firehouse on the 12-acre property, it's just the location. They stuck it right up on my property line. It's in my backyard."
After around 10 days of calls to the county, and a online petition to move the site signed by over 60 community members, a decision was made to delay construction until after Tuesday, January 24th.
News19 reached out to the county to get answers on what's next.
Newly elected Kershaw County Council Chair Katie Guinn has this to say in a statement released to News 19.
"The construction of the Cassatt Fire Station was stopped by the county administrator. There were questions that could not be answered regarding the location of the station and the usage of the additional land. (12 acres total) This Tuesday, January 24th, County council will meet, and on the agenda is an update from the administrator on the Cassatt fire station. I expect council to make a decision on how to move forward with this project after the update and all pertinent questions are answered."
Gadsby said he wants those on council and working on the construction to understand this is something he will have to live with.
It is unclear as to why it was built so close to Gadsby's home and if it will be moved. Those are questions Gadsby hopes to have answered at the County Council meeting Tuesday night.