The Bon De Croft Volunteer Fire Department once again asking the White County School Board for ownership of the Bon De Croft Fire Station.
The fire station located on the same property as Bon De Croft Elementary. The fire department asked the system to grant ownership of the portion of the property last April. Bon De Croft Fire Chief Shannon Smith said his department is losing grant opportunities to improve the fire station because they are not the legal owner of the property.
“If we do not get grants, the fire department has a hard time surviving,” Smith said. “Grants is our number one thing that we can get for new equipment, new apparatuses, new training stuff. Without grants, a fire department nowadays won’t make it.”
The plan the board came up with is for Smith to meet with Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger and form an exact proposal, and will aim to have an action item for next month’s board meeting.
Smith said the fire station was built in 1978 and is in desperate need of maintenance. Smith said he wants to improve his station to today’s standards.
“It needs a roof on it right now, and I don’t have enough space or anything to keep my equipment,” Smith said. “I have a truck sitting out right now in the weather. Talking with my other chief here, he doesn’t have any room in his department, my other sister department does not have any room for it.”
Smith said the roof was damaged from a recent storm and that the station also needs upgraded plumbing.
Smith said he is requesting an estimated two acres of property. School Board Chairman Bob Young said the board would need to see an exact amount of property before considering it.
“We can look to have that brought to the board next meeting, so that way we will have to take some type of action on it, but we don’t have anything that we would consider other than just saying quick claim property over to you,” Young said. “Well, the question is what property?”
Smith expressed that he believes the school board had forgotten about him after he made his initial request.
