York County honors slain colleague
When York County officials were considering the needs of county firefighters, a new fire training center was not a sure thing. And without the hard work and diligence of Anna Hubbard Moore, the project might not have been successfully completed.
The money for the new training center on McFarland Road south of York originally was set aside to build rural fire substations across western York County. And some critics said a new training center was unnecessary and that the county should continue to use the 30-year-old facility on Ogden Road that it rented from the city of Rock Hill.
In the end, though, the county’s volunteer firefighters convinced the county that the new center was needed more than the substations, and the project went forward. County fire officials began moving into the center in January, and when it formally opens Feb. 6, it will bear the name of the county official who helped make it a reality.
Moore was the assistant county manager who, in addition to overseeing many duties, was in charge of the county’s fire safety operations. She was involved in nearly every aspect of getting the training center built.
“She worked with our fire folks to get them what they needed,” County Manager Bill Shanahan said. “And she oversaw the financial side, so she found the money. And she worked with the designer on the design of the building. And for a while, there was no project manager over the project, so she did that too. She was a jack of all trades.”
Sadly, however, she will not be there when the new center is officially opened and christened after her. On July 5, Moore was shot to death in her home by her husband, Randy Moore, who also fatally shot Anna Moore’s son, Jason Lockamy, and Lockamy’s girlfriend, Lora Kathryn Young, before turning the gun on himself.
We think it is fitting that the new facility will be named the Anna K. Hubbard Fire Training Center. (The county will use Moore’s maiden name at her family’s request.)
Moore had worked for York County since 2006. In addition to the county’s fire operations, she oversaw other public safety departments, including animal control, fire safety, emergency management, the detention center and public safety communications, along with the summer feeding program and purchasing. She also served for nearly a year in 2013-14 as interim York County manager piror to Shanahan’s hiring.
Despite her many responsibilities, she did not seek the limelight, preferring to lead with quiet, steady competence. The new Fire Safety Department campus, with its 12,000-square-foot training building and a 10,000-square-foot maintenance shop – all built in about a year – is a good example of her ability to get things done.
The naming of the new center after her by grateful colleagues is an appropriate memorial for someone who gave so much to the county and its residents.
This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "York County honors slain colleague."