Rutherford County to Break Ground on Public Safety Building
Rutherford County will break ground this week on the first of four public safety buildings to be positioned in the rural areas of the County.
The County will host a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the first building to be constructed on Friday, January 28 at 1 p.m. at 6550 Highway 99 in Rockvale. The site is located on county school property.
The public safety buildings, each slated to cost around 7.16 million, are part of the County’s public health and safety improvements made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus Recovery Funds issued from the federal government in 2021.
“We are excited to break ground on the first of our four buildings in the rural areas of the county,” stated Mayor Bill Ketron. “These buildings will serve to bring health and other life safety services to the residents in those areas, and will provide a continuous presence of first responders and other public safety/health personnel.”
With future locations in Walter Hill, Lascassas, and Kittrell, the buildings will provide ongoing operation of critical government and business functions essential to human health and safety. This includes but is not limited to:
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) state and support space
- COVID-19 testing/vaccination administration
- Quarantine area for first responders
- Distribution site for personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Citizen outreach and education programs
- Behavioral healthcare center for area hotline for crisis intervention
- Local community food pantry assistance (as needed)
- Fire services and support space
- Dedicated Sheriff’s Office presence
- Community Command Post (search and rescue efforts, etc.)
- Community tornado shelter/safe room
“Rutherford County is committed to ensuring that our citizens have access to a variety of health and life safety information, services, and education,” said Public Safety Director Chris Clark. “These buildings will be used to distribute critical services on a daily basis including life safety measures and incident scene stabilization. We are very fortunate to be able to provide this level of care for our citizens.”
For more information about the funding of this projects and others funded by the ARPA recovery funds, view the full 2021 performance report at: https://rutherfordcountytn.gov/sites/default/files/SLFRF-Recovery-Plan-Performance-Report-8.31.21.pdf.
A big thank you goes out to River City Equipment Rental & Sales for sponsoring our construction update videos. They’re located at 211 Threet Industrial Rd in Smyrna and can be contacted at 615-223-0555.
