What you need to know:

• New station approved and awarded: Barren-Metcalfe EMS voted to hire Collins Custom Homes for a $579,275 project to build a new ambulance station in the Haywood community, with construction expected to begin soon.
• Purpose is faster response times: Officials said the station is intended to reduce roughly 20-minute response times in southern Barren County and better balance coverage with Glasgow, which accounts for about 49% of call volume.
• Strategic location and staffing plan: The station will sit at Matthew Mills Road and U.S. 31-E near the Haywood Volunteer Fire Department, and officials said coverage areas and staffing models will be adjusted to support both the new site and existing stations.
• Timeline and funding in place: The project will be funded through a 20-year loan from Edmonton State Bank at 3.6% interest, with a groundbreaking expected around the week of May 10 and completion targeted for November.

EDMONTON, Ky. — The Barren-Metcalfe EMS board voted Wednesday to hire Collins Custom Homes, moving forward with plans to build a new ambulance station in the Haywood community.

Director Dr. Joe Middleton said the additional station is needed as response times to the southern end of Barren County currently average about 20 minutes.

“We’re trying to strategically locate that station to help with the workload in the city of Glasgow, where 49% of our run volume is made, and then reduce the response times to the communities in Haywood, Fountain Run, lower Temple Hill, and down around the lake area,” Middleton said.

The new station will be located at the corner of Matthew Mills Road and U.S. 31-E, adjacent to the Haywood Volunteer Fire Department. The Ambulance Service Corporation already owns the 1.36 acres of land, according to PVA records.

Currently, the ambulance service is headquartered along East Main Street in Glasgow and maintains two additional stations at the Glasgow Regional Airport and in Edmonton.

Middleton said adding the Haywood station will require redistributing coverage areas, which are already structured to ensure ambulance service is within reach for residents across the county.

“In adding this station, we’re having to divide part of headquarters area and airport area, so we can have enough run volume in that station to support that station operation,” he said.

Middleton said one ambulance is generally justified financially when it makes between 1,500 to 2,000 runs per year, and his leadership team has been reviewing staffing models to determine how best to allocate personnel across the service area.

“We’re continually watching this model to see the best placement,” Middleton said.

Three construction companies submitted bids for the Haywood station, including Collins Custom Homes at $579,275, Scott, Murphy and Daniel at $796,504, and Kerley Construction at $850,470.

Middleton told the board that the Glasgow headquarters and airport station were constructed as commercial buildings with residential and office space incorporated inside, which have led to ongoing maintenance challenges.

In contrast, facilities in Metcalfe and Hart counties, where he also oversees ambulance services, are designed more like homes with larger garage areas.

“Those are constructed in a more typical residential-type structure that’s got added ceilings, attic spacing,” Middleton said. “It’s basically built like a house with a big, massive garage.”

He said the Hart County building, constructed in 1992, has required very little reconstruction, while the Metcalfe County facility has also seen minimal issues aside from some pavement concerns.

By comparison, the Glasgow headquarters and airport buildings have experienced significant condensation problems and required extensive work over the years.

“I think that we would be better off to focus more on a house with a big garage versus having a commercial building that we’re using for a living quarters,” Middleton said.

Barren County Judge/Executive Jamie Byrd made the motion to hire Collins, with Garland Gilliam seconding. The board voted unanimously in favor.

Board members noted a generator will need to be included in the project, which was not part of Collins’ original bid. Byrd estimated that addition could cost about $15,000.

“I’m going to use local contractors. I’m local to Barren County and Glasgow,” said Andrew Collins, owner of Collins Custom Homes. “All the supplies, contractors, and everybody that will be there will be Barren County-oriented.”

The project will be funded through a loan from Edmonton State Bank, with the board voting to accept a bid from the bank. Cecilian Bank and German American Bank also submitted loan bids.

Middleton compared the financing process to building a home, explaining that the board will apply for a construction note and begin taking draws from it to pay for the project at various stages of completion.

“At the end of that, when all of the bills are paid, we would go back to the bank and transition that construction note into a long-term mortgage,” he said.

The board voted to go with a 20-year mortgage payment with a 3.6% interest rate.

“The ambulance service would build that payment into the course of the budget over the next 20 years, just like we’ve done with the airport building over the previous 20 years,” he said.

A groundbreaking ceremony is expected to take place within the next few weeks, likely the week of May 10. The Haywood station is expected to be operational by November.