New fire station to be built at Bountyland

On lad adjoining Maranatha Baptist Church, a new Oconee fire substation will be built.  Ribbon was cut this morning to signify that, after years of planning, there will be a Bountyland substation responsible for fire protection for more than 10 thousand homes (several are lake homes) within a five-mile radius.  Oconee officials are pleased with the location and grateful to the church for accommodating.  Besides protection, Scott Krein of Emergency Services said the location will qualify 470 homeowners for an insurance fire protection rating.  Maranatha pastor Jeff Lundsford welcomes the project and, at the ceremeony, said, “Church folks, Bountyland community, we are getting some good neighbors”–a reference to the building and the personnel to man it.  Both Amanda Brock, county administrator, and John Ellliott, council chairman, called the substation that 10th and final station in a plan devised 12 years ago by the then county administrator Scott Moulder, who today is the Seneca administrator.  At that time, that plan was developed as a way to meet cries of rural fire fighters’ for improvements to the county system of fire fighting.