About 75 local leaders and citizens attended on Friday, Sept. 20 a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new High Falls fire station at 42 Towaliga River Drive.
Monroe County Emergency Services (MCES) teamed up with the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce to host the event, which was a time to allow local leaders and MCES staffers to tour the new state-of-the-art building, which includes three bays for fire trucks.
The new fire station location is well-known to the High Falls community because it was the long-time home of Falls View Restaurant prior to the county’s purchase of the property in 2021. Forsyth’s Proform Construction won the bid to convert the existing restaurant into a top-of-the-line fire station, and less than 18 months after the March 2023 groundbreaking, the renovation is complete.
Prior to Friday’s ribbon cutting, MCES Chief Matt Jackson gathered the attendees in the building’s huge new community center for a 15-minute dedication ceremony, which included speeches from Chief Jackson and District 4 Commissioner George Emami.
Chief Jackson thanked Monroe County Commissioners, Monroe County Manager Jim Hedges, and Proform Construction led by owner Robert Muckenfuss for their respective roles in making a new High Falls station a reality. He also thanked Monroe County’s EMS team, which set up and prepared the new station for the gathering. Chief Jackson said the old High Falls station at 3901 High Falls Road has served the county well since 1975, but he said the department has considerably outgrown that fire house. Chief Jackson said the new station will be “a major upgrade for our firefighters who live and work here” as well as for the station’s neighbors, such as High Falls State Park.
Commissioner Emami thanked local boy scout Madden Perry of Monroe County’s Troop 51 for his work in building a storage bin and a pair of benches at the High Falls community garden behind the new fire station as part of his Eagle Scout project.
Commissioner Emami also gave special recognition to Muckenfuss, whose mother Irene was a longtime High Falls resident who passed away on Sept. 8. Commissioner Emami said Irene Muckenfuss was one of the first High Falls citizens he got to know when he decided to run for District 4 Commissioner seven years ago. Commissioner Emami said Irene Muckenfuss would be proud of the new station and her son’s role in creating it, pointing out that Proform Construction’s bid was $1 million cheaper than other bids the county received.
Commissioner Emami said, “This project would not have been able to be done if it wasn’t for Robert Muckenfuss and his company.”
Commissioner Emami then credited County Manager Hedges with identifying an excellent location for the new station with a viable existing building. He said in total it cost Monroe County $1.9 million to purchase the land and building, renovate the building, and furnish the interior. He noted that the county’s pre-fab headquarters fire station on Juliette Road, which is about 2,000 square-feet smaller than the High Falls station, cost $2.1 million to build.
Commissioner Emami said of the renovated building: “It’s better than new in my opinion.”
Commissioner Emami noted the facility’s close proximity both to I-75 and High Falls State Park, which is visible from the station bays. He said the new state-of-the-art facility “stands as a beacon of safety, preparedness, and service.”
Commissioner Emami said, “It represents our unwavering commitment to protecting our community and supporting our dedicated first responders.”
But Commissioner Emami also noted that the building will serve as a critical gathering place for High Falls residents.
“This is not just a building for emergencies, but a hub for the community,” Commissioner Emami said. “It will host training sessions, community meetings, educational workshops, and serve as a crucial site for collaboration and connection among our citizens. This space embodies our collective spirit, fostering a sense of unity and cooperation that is vital for a thriving community.”
District 1 Commissioner Lamarcus Davis, District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland, who gave the invocation, and District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose were also among the attendees on Friday. Chick Fil-A provided refreshments for attendees.
Before and after the formal ceremony on Friday, attendees took tours of the building, which includes six bedrooms, several offices, a gathering room, a kitchen, and other amenities. Chief Jackson also encouraged attendees to visit the county’s aging station on High Falls Road so they can see the remarkable difference between where the High Falls firefighters/EMTs have been housed for the past 49 years versus the impressive new home they will inhabit moving forward.
The public is invited to a drop-in Community Open House for the new High Falls Station No. 2 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. Then, the Monroe County Reporter will host the first major community event in the new station meeting room at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30 when the five candidates vying to replace District 4 Commissioner Emami will debate. Commissioner Emami, who announced his upcoming resignation earlier this year, will serve up until the day prior to the Nov. 5 general election, which includes the non-partisan special election for District 4 Commissioner.
