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September 2, 2010
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State patrol post opens in Walton County
Published November 8, 2009
Slightly more than a year after ground was broken, law enforcement officials gathered Tuesday to officially open the new Georgia State Patrol Post 46 on Highway 11 north of Social Circle.
“We have to thank the citizens of Walton County who voted for this post in 2006,” Walton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Little said. “Now, it is a reality. I think we are all very proud to have this here. On behalf of Walton County’s citizens and elected officials, we welcome you and appreciate you being here.”
Each of those who spoke at the occasion had a piece of the backdrop of the story on how the facility finally came to call Walton County home. According to Little, when he was elected in 2000 he expressed an interest in having the post re-locate from its home in Conyers to the then half-empty county government building in Loganville. It would not be until Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman was elected, though, the effort to move the post truly gained speed.
Commissioner Lamar Palmer dated the effort to get the GSP post to move back to when he was sheriff in the late 1990s.
“Today, it has become a reality,” Palmer said. “It makes me feel good and blessed Post 46 is here in Walton County. Thank you for choosing Walton County and thank the chairman, the Board of Commissioners and Walton County for making this possible.”
While there were a lot of people involved in the process, Chapman and Post Commander Sgt. Frank Pfirman are credited with getting the final project off the ground.
Chapman was quick to point out the post will still serve the residents of Walton, Newton and Rockdale counties and part of the reason the location was selected was quick access to all three counties.
“I love the state patrol as much as I love deputy sheriffs,” Chapman said. “What this means for Walton County is all these blue shirts are just a phone call away. This is a force multiplier at no added expense to the local taxpayer.”
The Walton County sheriff said it was five years ago he and Pfirman “weren’t smart enough to realize we had to ask permission” for the move. But both said they learned a lot along the way, and couldn’t say enough about the people involved and give enough credit to those who helped make the move.
“From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough,” Pfirman said.
The day did not just belong to local law enforcement. Col. Bill Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, was on hand as well to christen the new facility.
“This will make life a lot nicer for a lot of troopers. We are in debt to you, citizens of Walton County,” Hitchens said. “You built the facility, we will provide the troopers and hopefully we will have a great relationship for years to come.”
The 14,200-square-foot facility is located on a 22.45-acre tract and was funded through the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The unaudited cost to date is $1.57 million, of which $1.2 million came from the amount initially bonded out by the county.
The remaining funds came from interest earned on bond proceeds. The project came in more than $200,000 under budget, with a few finishing touches remaining.
The facility will have 12 troopers working out of the post as well as administrative staff, with two more troopers slated to join the staff in the coming months.
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