Gilmer County commissioners decided to go with a slightly different pool design and changed prices for ambulance services.
The moves came at a special called meeting Jan. 24.
Chair Charlie Paris, who was calling into the meeting due to illness, brought news from talking to various companies and engineers about the pool design.
“One of the things is, apparently, the initial design although very impressive would be pretty complicated to build as opposed to a typical straight old rectangular pool everybody else has.”
Under the new design, he said, the larger pool would consist of enough room for eight swimming lanes with a separate rectangular wading pool with zero entry and water features.
Whether to have a diving well was the big decision, Paris said. According to the companies he talked to, the diving well could add as much as $250,000 to the building costs and would make insurance much harder to obtain.
“Without exception, everyone we have talked to has said ‘bad idea’,” he said.
Post Commissioner Karleen Ferguson said when she talked to the aquatic director in Cherokee County they were surprised Gilmer County was considering a diving well.
Post Commissioner Hubert Parker said losing the diving well was a concern. He pointed out the city of Calhoun has one.
“I think you will find diving is very popular, kids are lined up to dive,” Parker said.
County Attorney David Clark said there were several counties and cities which have diving boards.
In the end, the consensus of the board was to have the engineering done with a diving well.
“I think we are possibly looking at pushing $2 million total,” Paris said.
Commissioners are looking at some of the budget for the community pool to be paid from an increase in the hotel/motel/lodging tax.
Ambulance charges
Fire Chief Daniel Kauffman and Division Chief of EMS Andrew Burnette presented commissioners with some changes to the prices charged for ambulance service.
“The cost of us doing business has gone up,” Kauffman said.
The two were joined by Michael Walters of Med Corp, a billing service used by Gilmer County EMS. Walters told the board Gilmer County’s charges were low, and the changes would bring them to the middle of the pack for the area.
“After reviewing your rates on your ambulance services, we suggest the rates be increased slightly,” he said. “Currently, you are one of the lowest around.”
In some cases, he said, insurance would pay more than what the county was charging.
Basic Life Support costs for nonemergency would go from $400 to $595 and for emergency would change from $500 to $645.
Advanced Life Support charges would consist of nonemergency moving from $600 to $695, emergency from $700 to $745 and ALS 2 from $800 to $895.
Specialty Care Transport would go from $900 to $1,095.
Mileage charges would rise by $1 per mile from $12 to $13.
As part of the changes, a charge for treatment provided by an ambulance service with no transport was added. The cost will be billed at $350.
Burnette said the charge for treatment with no transport would be assessed to insurance companies. Unpaid balances would not be charged to individuals and be written off.
“I think if it puts us in the middle, that’s where we need to be,” Paris said.
Commissioners voted unanimously to raise the prices for ambulance services.