The Campaign to Elect Steve Fry - Fire Department's, Water and Growth

Steve's Thoughts On Fire Departments, Water, and Growth

On Fire Departments

“As Public Safety Committee Chairman for the Project 2020 and as a Pike County fireman myself I have learned a great deal about the needs of Pike County’s fire departments. I also learned how the citizens can make a small investment in upgrading their fire protection and get returns in the form of lower insurance premiums. This is due to the lowered ISO ratings as a result of the better performance capabilities of our fire departments. Our all-volunteer fire departments can be phased into paid departments over time as the County can afford it. One issue is the fact that most of our County residents obtain water from private wells therefore water must be carried in tanker trucks to most locations for fire suppression. As municipal, regional or county water becomes available to more of the County these needs will change. However, growth will follow the availability of water and planning needs to be in place to manage the support required for the increased population.”

On Water

“I mentioned water in relation to the fire department. That brings up an issue facing all residents. Pike County residents have been getting their drinking, cooking, washing and irrigation water mainly from private wells. In order to maintain adequate ground water supplies the rainfall we receive must be absorbed into the ground to replenish the water levels. The large open fields and woodlands are being replaced by rooftops, roads, driveways and parking lots. These surfaces cause the rainfall to run off instead of soak into the ground. This runoff flows into streams, creeks and rivers and on out of Pike County. Another side of the story is, even if public water is brought in to some subdivisions, septic tanks are the only method of waste water disposal currently used in Pike County. This adds to the impact on ground water recharge and water purity for others still on private wells. One answer to this problem lies in preserving agricultural areas and leaving greenspace and conservation land areas in and around new developments. Leaving natural wetlands undisturbed greatly helps the process.

The City of Griffin must be negotiated with concerning the availability of water from the Still Branch reservoir in Pike County. This regional water system should be able to supply the needs of Pike County with a predetermined fee schedule in return for allowing the pipeline to run through Pike County. It is time to get on with this process and become a partner in this regional project. Our Water Authority has put in countless hours of hard work and negotiations on this issue, they need the support and backing of the Board of Commissioners to obtain an outcome favorable to Pike County as a participant in this water system. I will become an integral part of the negotiations concerning our citizens’ water supply.”

On Growth

“31% growth between the last two census counts and increasing urban sprawl from the north highlights the need for planning to guide the County into the next decade. The Pike 2020 Project Report acknowledges “that growth is already a factor in Pike County but this growth needs to be controlled by proper planning and utilization of all available assets to channel growth into the most manageable and appropriate areas”. Counties just to our north have gone from rural areas with population numbers close to ours in 1980 to over 100,000 in the 2000 census. Fayette County has seen a 500% increase since 1980.

We need to support our County’s builders and developers. Since there are relatively few retail or commercial businesses and industrial jobs in Pike County, many residents work outside of the County or are retired. Most people who work in Pike County work in a field related to the building industry. The banks make the loans and hold the mortgages, the attorneys close the sales, the surveyors make the plats, the carpenters, roofers, masons, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, and concrete workers all come together to produce the finished product and earn a living. These businesses are the core of the workforce here in Pike County. To stifle growth would cause a loss of productivity from a large sector of Pike County.”

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