Architect says remodeling jail and library cost the same

The E911 and Communications Commission met Monday and learned the cost of remodeling the former jail and former library are nearly equal. The commission is in search of a new home for the dispatch center. Over the past year, the commission has whittled down its choices to those two locations. The commission has yet to pick a location, although at least one commissioner made his preferences known Monday. Commission Chairman Wes Rich, who is also a county supervisor, said he and the other supervisors want the dispatch center to move to the former jail. The former jail is adjacent to the dispatch center.

Architect John Mahon has worked on dispatch center designs for months. Mahon presented his cost estimates of remodeling various buildings in January. At that time, the cost of remodeling the former jail was $415,000, while the cost of remodeling the former library was $250,000. In February, Mahon told the commission that his cost estimate for the former jail was probably too high. On Monday, Mahon handed the commissioners an updated list of cost estimates. Mahon?s new list puts the renovation of the jail at $279,000 and the renovation of the library at $273,000.

The commissioners talked about which governmental entity should pay for the building. Washington County Attorney Larry Brock said that under his reading of the applicable agreements, the commission would pay for the building, and not the county. Washington City Attorney Craig Arbuckle was in attendance and he was asked for his opinion. He said he would reserve his judgment until he had a chance to review the agreements.

Commission member Ryan Miller suggested that the county finance the remodeling and that the commission pay back the county. Commissioner Sandra Johnson, who was filling in for Merle Hagie, said it is unfair to pay for the building using the commission?s taxing formula. That formula charges a town in the county according to its population, assessed value and 911 calls, giving equal weight to the percentage of each that the town consumes.

The commissioners agreed to discuss the issue of payment at their respective city councils and supervisory boards before the next meeting on April 25.

In an interview after the meeting, Mahon said his cost estimate for the jail dropped so sharply because he reduced the space allotted to the dispatch center in the jail. Under his newest designs, the dispatch center would occupy the same amount of space in either the jail or the second floor of the library. The cost of the electronic equipment was not included in Mahon?s cost estimates and would be the same in either case.

The cost of demolition and construction is higher at the jail than at the library ($178,000 to $150,000). The cost of the radio/IT room and storage is more expensive at the library per square foot but will take up less than one-third the space. The cost of that line item is about $33,000 at the jail and $17,000 at the library.

The choice of the library would incur certain expenses the jail would not. The library would need a $25,000 generator, which the jail already has. The library would need $10,000 in fiber optic cables to connect to the tower, something the jail doesn?t need because the tower is on the same block.

If the library is chosen, a portion of the first floor will be remodeled along with the second floor. A set of doors will divide the vestibule (where the bathrooms are) from the stairway. If a person wants to speak to a dispatcher, he will pick up a phone in the vestibule, which then rings in the dispatch office upstairs. The dispatchers will be able to see the caller via a camera in the vestibule. The dispatchers will then unlock the doors to allow the person upstairs.

If the jail is chosen, the layout will be the same with the caller making first contact with the dispatchers through a phone in a vestibule, outfitted with a camera. Mahon said the only difference would be that the dispatcher could interact with a caller face-to-face while the caller is still in the vestibule.