The City of Patterson is in the process obtaining the recently de-commissioned Georgia Forestry Unit office on Main Street (Georgia Highway 32).
Patterson Mayor Dedi Thomas said at Thursday’s city council meeting he has been in negotiations with the state properties commission to obtain the old Georgia Forestry Commission location.
Thomas said the City of Patterson would likely re-locate its fire department and public works building in the old forestry commission building.
There is no official date for when the city might take possession of the property.
The Georgia Forestry Unit in Patterson has been in service since at least the 1950s, but closed in May as the Pierce unit was merged with the Bacon County unit and relocated to Georgia Highway 32 in Bacon County.
Wendy Burnett with the Georgia Forestry Commission confirmed the merger and closure.
“It is something we have been working on for a couple of years and it took place in May,” she said. “The City of Patterson has since been in contact with the state about securing the building.”
The iconic fire tower served as an observation post to detect potential fires and also served as the official county weather station.
