Commission interested in building new dispatch center

The Communications Commission has resurrected the option of constructing a new dispatch center at Orchard Hill. The idea of building new has been discussed at the commission?s meetings for over a year. At the last couple of meetings, it was put on the back burner because it was much more expensive than the other options of moving the dispatch center to the former jail or the former library. However, at Monday?s meeting, the commissioners agreed to revisit the prospect of building a new structure.

Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar said he wants the dispatch center in a new building. Dunbar said he was initially supportive of moving to the former jail. However, he said the cost of remodeling the jail is too high for what the commission gets in return.

?If we put $300,000 in this building, what do we have? We probably don?t have a building that is worth $300,000,? said Dunbar.

Dunbar said the dispatch would be better placed at Orchard Hill because it would be close to the current jail and the sheriff?s office. He said every time someone applies for a weapons permit, he needs to run a criminal history on the person, and he does that at the dispatch center.

Dunbar said he?d like to meet with the commission?s architect, John Mahon, to talk about a new building at Orchard Hill. Dunbar said a new 911 center could be built for a little over $300,000.

?I really think if I had the opportunity to meet with him, and we designed a building that Cara [Sorrells] agreed to, I?m pretty sure we would come close to that same amount of money,? said Dunbar. ?It might cost a little bit more, but maybe there would be cost savings in the future.?

There was confusion at the meeting about whether Mahon had given a cost estimate of building at Orchard Hill, or if the only estimate had come from the commission?s consulting engineer, Leonard Koehnen. Mahon did give an estimate of putting up a new building at the commission?s Jan. 24 meeting. He estimated that erecting a building at Orchard Hill would cost about $530,000. Mahon?s most recent cost estimates of remodeling the other two locations, which he made public in March, are $279,000 for the former jail and $273,000 for the former library. Mahon did not talk about a new building at Orchard Hill at either the February or March meetings.

Commissioner Bob Shepherd asked Dunbar, ?You think you can put a building out there (at Orchard Hill) for $300,000??

Dunbar replied, ?I think we can get pretty close to that. You don?t need as much as what was planned.?

Commission Chairman Wes Rich told Dunbar, ?I don?t think you can make a hardened structure for the money you?re talking about. We can put a metal building out there but not a proper 911 building.?

Commissioner Merlin Hagie said he was open to building from scratch or moving the center to the former library, but not open to moving it to the former jail. He is worried about hindering the expansion of the courthouse.

?This all started from the Board of Supervisors wanting to use the property for future advancement of the courthouse, to build an annex. I don?t want to jeopardize that,? said Hagie. ?Future supervisors might think, ?Why was this decision made? We?d like to have an annex for the courthouse because the courthouse is overcrowded.? It is irresponsible to lock in that space for 20 years. The jail is nothing but a money trap.?

Rich said the supervisors are not interested in annexing the former jail into the courthouse or using the former jail for any other purpose. Rich said he wants to move the dispatch center to the former jail, in part because the jail is adjacent to the dispatch center and that the equipment wouldn?t have to be moved very far.

Commissioner Paul Shelangoski said he also favors the former jail, and said it is because it already has a generator.