“You can literally walk out the back door and touch it,” said Crossroads Sober Living founder and president Dusty Snider, pointing at the old Fire Station Number 4. “We’re pretty much connected to it.”
The station, located at the corner of South McCrary Road and Airline Road, has been unused since Columbus Fire and Rescue built its new station farther west on Airline in March 2021. Crossroads sober living is around the corner on McCrary, in the old Wiygul Dental building, and would like to lease the facility from the city.
Crossroads was founded in 2019, Snider said, and is affiliated with Columbus Christian Center. Snider, a recovering addict himself, wanted to meet a need he knew was out there.
“We’re for anybody who’s struggling, but our main audience is people that have had a drug addiction,” he said. “There is a big need for housing and jobs. When we opened our sober living house, we started off wanting 10 people and it just blew up.”
There are 20 in the program now, mostly housed in the old dentist’s office on McCrary Road, he said, and there’s a waiting list to get in.
Snider sees the old fire station as the answer to his problem.
“We could get another 10 people in the fire house,” he said. “That’s 10 people off the street, 10 people who are going to be productive members of society, 10 more employees.”
It also offers more space for recreation, he said. Residents now can choose between the sidewalk out front or a narrow space between the back of Crossroads and the side of the fire station to hang out.
“The fire house has a side yard where they could throw the ball with their kids when they come to visit,” Snider said.
A small wooden deck is on the back side of the fire station, offering another space residents could use.
“It’s just perfect for us,” he said.
The building was built in 1959. According to Lowndes County tax records, it sits on a parcel of land that is 80 feet by 159 feet, and has an assessed value of $12,240.
According to Columbus Fire and Rescue Chief Duane Hughes, one engine was stationed there, with three personnel per shift.
“Inside there’s the bay, a kitchen/living room area and bathroom, and an open sleeping area,” Hughes said.
The building also has a leaky roof, Hughes said. Repair estimates three years ago ran to around $20,000.
“Because we knew we were going to the new station, we decided not to incur that cost,” Hughes said.
During Columbus City Council’s work session Thursday, City Attorney Jeff Turnage said the nonprofit had offered $200 per month via a draft lease.
“It’s not a business wise decision to lease it for that,” Turnage said. “But you do have a right to lease for less than fair market value to a (nonprofit).”
Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones said during the work session that he would lean towards selling the building. He expanded on that to The Dispatch Friday afternoon.
“When (the fire department) first moved out, I had a couple of people contact me about wanting to buy it,” he said. “If it needs a roof, I don’t see us spending money on it. We have better things to spend money on that are actually being used.”
The lease amount isn’t enough to make repair costs worth it, he said.
“It was $20,000 several years ago,” he said. “It’s probably $30,000 now. It will take us forever (at $200 a month) to get the money back out of it.”
Snider, on Friday, said Crossroads would be happy to fix the roof.
“We have the manpower to fix it,” he said. “We might have to raise some funds, but most of our guys have a construction background. We could get up there and fix it.”
The leak is over the area that would be used for recreation, Snider said, so could be fixed over time.
“That’s something to think about,” Jones said, when asked about the possibility of Crossroads doing the repairs. “We’d just have to look at it.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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