Cordele — Crisp County residents in certain parts of the county including an area of Hwy. 257 on the east side of I-75 may be seeing substantial increases in their homeowners’ insurance premiums this year, due to a change in ISO rules.

Johnny Jackson who lives on Wanda Rd. appealed to commissioners Tuesday morning to place a new fire station in the Hwy. 257 E. area of the county as soon as possible. Jackson said he got his insurance premium notice in January, and learned his ISO rating had increased from 6 to 10, and his premium more than doubled.

Even though the county’s fire and rescue department has been able to get the ISO rating lowered to 5, that only helps homeowners who live within five miles of a station and 1000 feet from a hydrant.

Commissioner Wallace Mathis said the ISO rules recently have been tightened. Originally, he said, everyone got the discount as long as a certain percentage of the citizens met the criteria. Now that percentage has been increased to 100%.

Mathis assured Jackson that a new station for his area of the county is on the drawing board. Commissioner Clark Henderson said a new station will cost the county about $100,000 by the time equipment is purchased and the station is staffed. “I don’t know where we’ll find the money, but we have to think about the greater good. I think citizens of other parts of the county would want you to have the same insurance advantages they have.”

Through the years, Mathis added, Crisp County has provided fire service largely without help from outside sources.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Chris Greene and Eric Bozeman met with commissioners on behalf of the county recreation department which Bozeman directs. After some discussion, county governors agreed to honor Greene’s request that a portion of the revenue from concessions at ballgames be put in a separate line item for travel when all-star teams must go out of town for district and state competitions.

“We now have a $100 a day allowance, and it’s difficult to pay for everything with that,” Greene said. Commissioners acknowledged the importance of recreational activities to the county’s youth and agreed that money should be available for travel when the teams do well.

Rather than taking the money from the general fund, Greene said he would rather have designated funds from concession stand receipts. “If parents and others know where the money is going, they will spend more at the concession stand,” he said.

Also concerning the department, Bozeman said 500 kids have signed up for spring sports, and the opening day ceremony is planned for March 23. “We’re promoting citizenship,” Greene added, “by encouraging kids to want to give back to their community when they are adults.” Greene is chairman of the Recreation board.

In other business:

• County Administrator Tom Patton said the county’s new community development block grant (CDBG), if it is approved, will provide sewer lines into homes in the New Town area in the southwestern part of the county. “There is definitely a need there,” he said, “and that was never more evident than during the recent rain events.”

• Bob Robinson & Associates was chosen as the CDBG consultant for the next five years.

• Mark Johnson who lives on Cannon Branch Rd. was granted a special use permit to construct a pool/guest house on his property. Planning Director Connie Sangster said the homeowners association in the subdivision had no objection to the construction, and no one came to the public hearing to object.

• Griffin-Folsom Construction was awarded the Old Hatley Bridge culvert widening project near the new school site. The company’s low bid came in at $55,900.