Discussion continues on future of dispatch center

The Communications Commission received new estimates of the cost of the new dispatch center at its meeting Monday. The commission is deciding between moving the dispatch center to the second floor of the former library, or to the former jail, or constructing a new building specifically for it at Orchard Hill. The commissioners also talked about who would foot the bill for the project. Commission Chairman Wes Rich and fellow commissioner Adam Mangold said they would discuss the issue at their next Washington County Board of Supervisors? meeting.

Architect John Mahon presented the commission with cost estimates of the three possible locations. Remodeling the old library would cost about $273,000. Remodeling the jail would cost slightly more at about $279,000. Erecting a new building at Orchard Hill would cost about $543,000 if it shared a wall with the jail. A completely free-standing structure with no shared walls would cost $546,000.

Mangold said that since he had just received the numbers that evening, he was not prepared to select one option over another. The commissioners asked Mahon if he would recommend one site in particular. He said all three sites could work, and that it is up to the commissioners to weigh the costs and benefits of each option using the information he provided them.

Rich said one advantage of the former jail is that the dispatch center could be expanded from its original layout because it would not consume the whole building. Commissioner Bob Shepherd said the same is true of the former library, in which the dispatch center would only take up two-thirds of the second floor.

Commissioner Merlin Hagie said he prefers building from scratch at Orchard Hill. He said a new building would last 50-75 years. He said the problem with both the former jail and former library is that they are subject to the will of another governing body ? to the county in the case of the jail and to the city in the case of the library.

?A future city council could say, ?We?ve needed that space for some time. It?s been fun. Adiós.? It could happen. Do I see it happening now? No, but that?s with the present city council. Down the road, it is 100 percent possible. You have exactly the same issue at the old jail. A future board of supervisors might say that now is the time for a parking lot or an annex off the courthouse.?

Shepherd asked Hagie, ?Why aren?t the sites at Orchard Hill just as subject to the whim of an elected body??

?There is nothing pressing around it to cause any issues that I can see,? responded Hagie.

Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar said he prefers a new building, particularly a new building at Orchard Hill. He said it would be more convenient for him and his deputies when they run criminal histories for people who want a weapons permit. Those have to be done at the dispatch center and the officer has to pick up the criminal history report in person, which means traveling to the dispatch center. He said it would save time and money if the dispatch center were next to the sheriff?s office.

Rich said he prefers either the former jail or the former library because they cost so much less than building a new structure.

?We?re talking about spending other people?s money,? said Rich. ?We?ve got to be frugal. I do not get the sense that taxpayers want me to tap into their wallets for this.?

Sandra Johnson, an alternate representative for the City of Washington, remarked that only the City of Washington and Washington County are bound to remain in the commission, and the other towns could pull out of it. For that reason, Johnson advocated that the dispatch center be paid for through the county, to ensure that everyone pays for it.

Hagie said that if the county pays for it, the county can choose how much money to spend on it. He asked the rest of the commissioners what the purpose of the commission was if the county were going to have control over the purse strings. Commissioner Ryan Miller said he believed the purpose of the commission was to oversee the operations of the dispatch center.

?I?m not sure we?re here to build buildings,? said Miller.