Haywood County commissioners will hold a public hearing Dec. 21 regarding the construction of a new EMS headquarters beside the sheriff’s office in Hazelwood. 

Members of the public are welcome to provide feedback on the project before commissioners consider approving and executing an installment financing contract for $2.1 million to pay for the construction. 

Right now, the county’s ambulances, supplies, office spaces and storage are located in numerous places throughout the county. The new EMS campus, which will include ambulance and equipment bays and a 13,000-square-foot building, will provide a centralized home base for emergency operations. The new emergency management headquarters will be built on the site of an old state prison — 144 Hemlock Street — that was closed several years ago and acquired by the county for $1.

The public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 21 in the Haywood County Historic Courthouse.