CAJAH’S MOUNTAIN, NC (May 31, 2024) ⇒ Officials from Caldwell County and the Town of Cajah’s Mountain broke ground today on a new EMS base and training facility.
“This is a historic day for Caldwell County,” said Caldwell County Board of Commissioners Chair Randy Church. “We have been trying to put a base in this community for years, and today, we finally break ground.”
Cajah’s Mountain Town Council and County Commissioners have worked for 17 years to build a base in the area.
“I have spent years advocating for an EMS base in Cajah’s Mountain,” said Cajah’s Mountain Mayor Ronnie Setzer. “I want to thank the commissioners for listening to me and working with the Town to build this base.”
The base will be located at 1901 Connelly Springs Road, along one of the most heavily traveled roads in the state. Once the base opens, EMS personnel will be housed within minutes of one of the busiest areas in the county.
“There’s never been a question of having a base here,” said Commissioner Donnie Potter. “The question has been when can we put it here, and it wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the Town.”
Atriax Group, the designer and builder for the project, expects to have the $4.58 million project complete by July 2024, and the Hickory-based group has been a good fit for the project.
“We’re a veteran-owned company with many of us having served in uniform as well as having our adult children also serving in uniform. We likewise honor those who serve in the uniform of our Nation’s and communities’ first responders,” said George Auten, Atriax Group CEO. “We equally honor them; which makes this mission especially important to us. These daily heroes deserve the best in operational, training, and standby facilities. We are honored to play a role in providing this facility to the Caldwell County and Cajah’s Mountain community.”
When completed, the base and training facility will feature three double bays to hold six emergency vehicles, an EMS training bay to house the shell of an ambulance and a classroom, a simulated Emergency Department, as well as offices and additional training space.
“Everything about this base has been a long-time coming,” said Caldwell County Emergency Services Interim Chief Trevor Key. “There’s going to be a lot of benefits to this base. With this base, we’ll have better response times and a training facility unlike any in western North Carolina. We are all going to benefit from it greatly.”
