Fountain County will use the sale of its existing ambulance building to partially fund construction of a new one.
Commissioners approved the sale of the “med shed” for 91,000 to Centre Bank, which is adjacent to the property. The proceeds will cover part of the roughly $1.2 million cost of the new facility.
Commissioner Walt Wilson says the EMT service outgrew the existing space.
“The existing building is just a pole barn they put up, probably 30 years ago. It has a small living quarter in it. It really didn't have room enough for all our ambulances. It just wasn’t adequate.”
The new facility is being built east of Veedersburg on U.S. 41 and County Road 50 South.
Wilson says a $500,000 grant also will be applied to the cost of construction.
"It will have a place for the employees to sleep. It will have a large room for all of their instructions or maybe as a community room, if they need to. It also will have four drive through bays and a wash bay for all of their vehicles.”
He says there is enough room at the site to grow, if needed.
"Our dispatch is now in the Attic City Building and it's pretty cramped in there. We're thinking there could be an addition put on this building to accommodate our dispatch. That's not decided on yet, but it's a thought that it could be done.”
The new ambulance service should be operating by October 1st. Wilson says the grant money must be used by the end of the year.