Residents of Valley Grande and surrounding areas received a boost Sunday that could result in a safer community, as well as lower insurance rates.

Officials held a ribbon cutting and open house at the Valley Grande Public Safety Building on Highway 22.

The facility, which took a little more than a year to complete, cost the city $250,000.

It will house a fire station, the office of the newly-hired public safety director and will serve as a substation for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.

Valley Grande Mayor Tom Lee said the new facilities will help curb crime and lower the area’s Insurance Service Organization rating, which gauges how accessible residents of a certain area are to the services of a fire hydrant and fire protection.

In cases of emergency, the post in the public safety building can serve areas that could be out of reach for the Selma office, officials said.

The services of the public safety building are extended to residents as far west as the Valley Grande Golf Course including Summerfield, Potter Station, and Ocmulgee.

This building should serve as a centerprice for the municipality as officials work to lay the infrastructure for the community.