CRANE HILL — In a push to improve response times, Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry wants to build a new substation for deputies here that could also serve as a new senior center.

On Tuesday, the Cullman County Commission approved Gentry’s request to purchase a two tracts, totaling 1.9 acres, on County Road 222 from People’s Bank of North Alabama for $23,900. The property sits across from the Crane Hill Volunteer Fire Department and has been vacant since People’s Bank closed its branch there a few years ago.

Gentry said he plans to utilize grant funding to construct a new facility to serve as a third substation, joining those already in Baileyton and Good Hope, and to replace the current Crane Hill Senior Center, which is in badly need of repair and upgrades.

“One of our goals as a sheriff department is to provide service to citizens in a timely manner,” Gentry said. “Over the past five years, our total call volume has increased by nearly 40 percent, and on the west side of the county, there’s certain times of the year where the population triples, which means our call volume triples.”

Deputies responding to calls in communities like Battleground, Jones Chapel, Bug Tussle and Brushy Pond have to take winding county roads to get to scenes, stretching response times anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes, Gentry said.

“There’s really no easy way to get to some of these communities,” he said.

The property Gentry wants to build the new substation on already has a concrete pad, asphalt driveway and utilities on site. The property will be paid for out of the sheriff’s department’s discretionary funds, he said.

“I’ve talk to our legislators about it, and I hope we can find some grants to build it,” he said. “It’s a long-term goal, but I hope we can get it done in the next 2 to 4 years. We want to provide the best service we can for residents.”

Gentry said he wanted to position the sheriff’s office to be prepared for an influx of calls with the implementation of the state’s sweeping prison reform legislation which he said could see 61 percent of the prison population released.

“We have to start taking the steps now, or it’s going to be tougher on the community in the years ahead,” he said.

In a related project, the sheriff’s office, with F & O Architects, are taking bids until February 23 for a new multi-purpose training facility to be constructed beside the sheriff’s office and jail on Beech Avenue Southeast.

In other business Tuesday, the Cullman County Commission:

* Approved minutes from January 12 meeting, appropriations, expenditures, payroll, requisitions and all journal entries to be posted.

* Terminated local emergency declaration that began December 23, 2015.

* Authorized EMA Director Phyllis Little to file a request for public assistance in connection with the Presidential Declaration and to serve as the point of contact for Cullman County.

* Approved resolution allowing employees who worked to recover from the Christmas flooding to take up to 50 hours off by February 28. County employees are allowed to “rollover” up to 480 hours in leave from one year to the next, with any additional unused annual leave being forfeited.

* Approved overtime pay for essential personnel employees who worked hours outside the usual work-day between December 23-31, 2015.

* Designated bank depositories for Cullman County funds.

* Authorized Chairman Kenneth Walker and EMA Director Phyllis Little to sign State Mortuary Operations Response Team (SMORT) grant for $17,000. The grant requires no match and will provide funding for travel and equipment for the SMORT team members to participate in training.

* Authorized Chairman Kenneth Walker and EMA Director Phyllis Little to sign Strategic Technology Reserve (STR) grant for $8,500. The grant also requires no match and will provide funding to maintain and upgrade satellite radios and phones and other equipment in the STR trailer, which is housed in Cullman.

* Authorized Chairman Kenneth Walker to sign Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) agreement between the state and county commission for 1033 program for Animal Control.

* Appointed Ginger Hicks to the Regional Housing Authority Board to fill the unexpired term of Wilhelmina Parris whose term will expire February 2017.

* Declared surplus six 2016 Mack GU713 dump trucks from the Road Department equipment to be sold at auction.

* Authorized Chairman Kenneth Walker to sign an agreement with Iron Planet to auction aforementioned dump trucks. County Engineer John Lang said the county will likely be receive $652 more per truck than what they paid for them.

* Authorized Chairman Kenneth Walker to sign an agreement with Dustin Robbins for a hill climb race event February 6 at Stony Lonesome OHV Park, with the condition additional $1 million general liability insurance is provided by Robbins at no cost to the county.

* Declared surplus two Duraco Durapatchers Model 125DJT to be sold on online auction site govdeals.com. Lang said the county will replace the equipment with a single one-person operated patcher which will “save money and manpower.”

* Declared surplus various item from the Animal Shelter to be sold as scrap.

* Declared surplus 2008 Mack front loader from the Sanitation Department to be sold on govdeals.com.

* Released surety bond and accepted County Road 907 in Shadowrock Estates.

* Approved Revenue Commissioner Barry Willingham’s request to have a wall removed in the revenue commission office by David Speegle Construction for $6,920. Willingham said consolidating the departments will better serve customers, providing more room for future population growth. The work is scheduled to commence during the three-day weekend with the courthouse closing Monday, February 15 for Presidents’ Day.

* Authorized $12,900 purchase of fencing for Smith Lake Park from Aegis Fence.

* Rejected bids for hauling of aggregate.

* Approved bid for polypropylene pipe. The material was recently approved by the Alabama Department of Transportation, and Lang said the road department wants to experiment using it for different applications.

* Awarded two bids for bituminous plant mix: furnish and installed to Good Hope Contracting and furnish and delivered to Wiregrass Construction.

* Provided the following personnel report (January 13-26): Susan Smith was hired as a part-time replacement for CARTS, Christopher D. Steele resigned his full-time position from the sheriff’s office and Derek L. Frasier received a promotion in the Animal Shelter.

The Cullman County Commission will hold a work session 8:30 a.m. February 9, followed by its meeting at 10 a.m.

* Tiffeny Owens can be reached by email at towens@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 256-734-2131.