By James Brown
Glasgow News 1
Right at six months ago, Barren Inc hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new ambulance station in Haywood. On Thursday, Barren Inc was back at the corner of Matthews Mill Road and Scottsville Road for a ribbon cutting.
Chamber board chair CheyAnne Fant said it was impressive that the new Barren-Metcalfe Emergency Medical Services ambulance station had grown from a vacant lot to being in service since that ground breaking May 12. The ribbon cutting was Thursday, Nov. 12, and there is a full-time ambulance stationed in Haywood.
“The people in the Haywood area and living down by the lake are going to benefit tremendously,” she said.
Dr. Joe Middleton, who is the executive director for Barren-Metcalfe EMS, thanked the Ambulance Service Corporation, Inc., board members for their vision and dedication to building the new facility. He also thanked Andrew Collins with Collins Custom Homes for his company’s dedication to getting the project done as quickly as possible.
The impetus for a station that will serve southern Barren County came after studying emergency traffic volume and run times.
“We identified a clear need right here in southern Barren County,” he said at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Middleton had previously said the response times to the southern area of the county were probably the longest. The area was being served by the ambulance station on East Main Street in Glasgow.
The Ambulance Service was able to arrange a purchase agreement with the Haywood Volunteer Fire Department, which allowed the new station to be placed next to that station. It faces Matthews Mill Road, and is at the intersection of that road and U.S. 31-E.
At the ceremony Thursday, Middleton added that there is more to come.
