Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Two Livingston County communities will be home to new EMS bases.

The Livingston County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the construction of the bases, one in Putnam Twp. and one in Cohoctah Twp., during their March 24 meeting.

“This action builds upon the board’s commitment to providing top-tier services to the citizens of Livingston County,” the press release said.

The resolution was developed by Commissioner Frank Sample, Vice Chairman Nick Fiani, Administrator Nathan Burd and EMS Director Dave Feldpausch. They said the goal is to help cover more rural areas of the county.

In a letter attached to the meeting’s agenda, Feldpausch said the project had been discussed for several years, adding that several rural areas were underserved based on an EMS study of response times. The organization is unable to meet its self-imposed response time requirement of 15 minutes or less 90% of the time due to the locations of the current bases.

“We are a pretty good distance from emergency medical assistance out here,” Sample said of the long-awaited plans. “In a health emergency, shaving minutes off of the response time can make a huge difference. I have no doubt having EMS in our district will save lives going forward.”

Both locations were approved to be leased to the county at a rate of $1 per year for a 99-year term.

Putnam Twp. Clerk Valerie Niemiec presented the board with an envelope of 99 $1 bills that members of the community had collected to pay the lease in advance to “illustrate the residents’ appreciation” for the new base.

“The best news is we are now able to implement these contracts without having to bond or raise taxes,” Board Chairman Jay Drick said. “That’s a perfect example of excellence in government.”

The construction cost of the Cohoctah Twp. base is $1,549.692 and the cost for the Putnam Twp. base is $1,359.683. The money for both projects will come from the General Fund Vision Tour Funds, which is used for American Rescue Plan Act money.

The board also voted unanimously to add five irregular part-time positions to Livingston County EMS.