Commission seeks architects to design dispatch center

    The Communications Commission took a step forward in the direction of finding a new home for the dispatch center at its joint meeting with the E911 Board in Riverside Monday. The commission voted to send out a request for proposal (RFP) to architectural firms that are interested in designing the new dispatch center. The board and commission are considering two options for the future center: moving it to the second story of the old library in Washington; and constructing a new building at Orchard Hill. The commission members said they want the architect to provide cost estimates for both projects.

    Commissioner Merle Hagie said the commission has made very little progress at its last few meetings, and that something should be done soon. Hagie said he favored moving the dispatch center to the old library. Hagie then said that he and fellow commissioner Bob Shepherd penned a report detailing why the dispatch center needs to be moved and why the commission should choose the old library over a brand new building. Hagie took copies of the report to the meeting and passed them out to the other commissioners and board members.

    In the report, Hagie and Shepherd write that remodeling the library is much cheaper than building from scratch. They write that the cost of renovation is about $260,000, whereas the cost for a new building would be more than $1 million. In their report, the necessary equipment would cost just over $700,000. They plan to pay for the equipment through E911 by taking $200,000 from its budget and then borrowing the remaining half-million dollars. To pay for the library?s renovation, they would take $50,000 from the commission?s budget and then borrow the other $210,000. 

    ?The loan can be paid back using the commission?s formula, which is equitable,? said Shepherd, alluding to the formula whereby the cities pay the commission based on their population, property value and 911 calls. ?This is a good time to borrow money. It?s also a good time to get the work done because costs are low.?

    Commissioner Wes Rich said there is a significant difference in quality between a new building built to be a communications center and one that is remodeled.

    ?There is no comparison between those two facilities,? said Rich. ?One is a renovated building and the other is a hardened structure. It?s like saying a Cadillac is the same as a Volkswagen because they both have four wheels.?

For more, see our Sept. 29 print edition.