Eggs and Issues: Centerville expecting growth – City breaking new ground on fire staion

City officials from Centerville had a sit down discussion Tuesday morning about major plans for the future, growth and community engagement.

Centerville Mayor John Harley and economic development director Ashley Hogan were featured guests at the Robins Regional Chamber’s monthly Eggs & Issues event. Hogan and Harley each talked about two major developments that will be up for bid in coming months along with efforts to improve the city’s “digital handshake”.

The upcoming improvements at the Center Park at Centerville were a topic of discussion, as the city announced they were moving forward with a long range plan to increase community engagement.

Hogan estimated a budget of $2 million for the project, which she said would likely move into the execution stage in the next few months; the city is still accepting proposals from contractors at this time. According to mayor Harley, the park plan was years in the making for Centerville Council, as it took time to attain the funds to afford it. “We didn’t want to borrow money to do it with,” he said. “We finally came to a thing that we could afford, and that’s when we got it developed.”

He also said the park project had a significant donation from senior citizens for a pavillion on the property. “It’s going to be a wonderful park for all our residents.” He said the city had a multifaceted plan for additions to the park, which would be executed in phases. He ensured there would be a lot of exciting features for residents.

He listed pavilions, small libraries for children, an amphitheater and more coming in the next 3-4 years. Another big project for the city is the construction of a new fire station for the Centerville Fire Department.

With a budget of $3.7 million, the city expects to break ground at the new site in coming months. Hogan said the decision to add another fire station was a reaction to the extensive growth the city experienced in recent years. The old station, which Hogan described as a 1960 style house with bays attached, was not suited for the growing needs of the developing town. “We had too many engines, too many firemen [and] not enough space,” Harley added.

“We’re looking to just embark on a new journey to have a better facility for our firefighters. We need a facility that better services our business and residential partners,” said Hogan.

Hogan added that the city is still preparing bids for the project, as they recently finished the building’s architectural mock up. Once the new station is fully functioning, Harley said the old building would be decommissioned and used mainly for storage. “This is something we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time and we were able to do it without creating any additional burden on the citizens,” he said.

Hogan was energetic about the city’s re-branding efforts as well. She pushed for the new and improved website that features a new color scheme that matches the city’s new logo. She highlighted new entryway signage that is now visible throughout the city. “At $25,000, it was a small investment but it makes a big splash.” The city added 17 new signs sporting the new city logo and color scheme, according to Hogan.