Plans are moving forward for residents to finally get an upgraded facility for the firefighters who help protect folks in the small community of Esom Hill.

County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a request to take on donated land from Stacey Hillis in Esom Hill to have a site for a new Esom Hill Fire Station.

The approval of the donation gives the county the first opportunity in decades to build and relocate a much-needed replacement station in the far southwestern community in Polk near the Alabama state line.

The current station is located on Shiloh Road, and the new station will be directly behind the old on the newly donated property.

County officials said that next step will be to get into the design phase of the new station, which will then follow with bid requests having to go out for contractors to determine how much it will cost for the replacement.

If the county for some reason decides not to use the property for the fire station, it will be returned to the Hillis family.

The current station will remain in operation until the new one is completed.

Currently, firefighters out of Station 8 have been serving in the community for the past several decades in an aging facility.

The building has been in long need of repairs and finally a replacement over last few years.

“We are thankful for Stacey Hillis and her family for the land donation, and we look forward to getting started on the new station,” Polk County Fire Chief Michael Hanuscin said.