Medic Station #1 construction to begin

Agents with Grinder Taber Grinder, the construction company to build Medic Station #1 behind the old jail, met with the board of supervisors December 1.

They are having some issues with getting up the drive to the site, said building and grounds supervisor Simpson Stroupe.

District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker recommended putting some rock down so equipment can get to the site.

“I will get it done,” said road and bridge manager Mario Jeffries.

“The lot was low,” Stroupe said. “Raise it about six inches. There’s plenty of dirt there.” Holly Springs Lake Estates property owners Association Jason and Dana Tutor brought petitions before the board requesting to close off one end of George Mann Road to stop traffic from outside the community cutting through to go to Lake Center.

Tutor said an out of service patrol car is being sought to use as security. The stickers will be replaced with Lake Center stickers. The vehicle will have a camera.

Tutor said there is a problem with generational addiction in the community with as many as four locations involved.

“Addiction out there is a problem that runs very, very deep,” he said. “We’ve made some huge steps over the last years.”

Safety and security of the community is utmost importance, he said.

One of the members of the property owners association lost her house to fire, with fire and some hydrants all around the lake inoperable.

Tutor said fire departments made a great effort to save the structure, but it was found that some fire hydrants all around the lake were stopped up and there was little water available to fight the fire or to refill tanks.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie O’Neil Bennett said the City of Holly Springs is responsible for checking the hydrants.

“The lines were dry,” Tutor said. “Who would take care of that?” He said the City of Holly Springs owns the water system. The hydrants should be checked every three months, Tutor said.

“Some things have been neglected. Lake Estates is private,” he said. “Lake Center is a corporate township.”

Tutor said Holly Springs Lake Estates is a large subdivision.

Tutor said it would benefit the county as a whole to get a grant and install a floating pump on the lake. It would lower his homeowner insurance rate by about $150, he said.

The family that lost its house have been good neighbors and have lived there 19 years, Tutor said.

Routine maintenance of the fire hydrants is needed, but he doesn’t know who to contact.

“It’s the fire department’s responsibility to check the plugs and flush,” he said. “We’re just looking for what’s best for the county. That house, I’m not sure we could have saved it.”

Zinn said the Sheriff’s Department could check in on the community.

“The Sheriff’s Department helps when it can,” Tutor said. “I’m not blaming the county.

The community has been a sore spot for years.”

Zinn said neighborhood watch has worked for security for years.

“Our goal is to be able to help with situations and deescalate situations,” Tutor said. “Addictions, there is some of that out there. We want to keep our residents safe. There are four or five wasp nests.”

“We want to make it safer for other people,” Tutor said. “They deserve to be able to walk the streets without fear. We want a better neighborhood. That’s all.

“We’ve had zero opposition (to closing off one end) to George Mann Road.” Two petitions with signatures were submitted to board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith.

All residents on George Mann Road signed a petition. The road will blocked off at Lake Shore Drive, a two-mile road that encircles the lake.

Smith said a public hearing has to be held to close George Mann Road, if the board approves the measure.

The public hearing was set for January 20, 2026, at 10 a.m.