New addition for 911 Operations center continues to rise behind EMA building

Commissioners make minor design choices, hear progress of building status

Progress on the new 911 Operations Center for Polk County is being made, despite wet weather halting construction some this past week in the Cedartown area.

Despite that, initial plumbing, waterproofing and the foundations are done, with the past week being dedicated to pouring stained concrete floors, set to match a drop flooring being installed to make cabling easier to access for repairs and upgrades as technology improves.

Sand buff was the color chosen by county commission chair Stefanie Drake Burford and commissioner Jennifer Hulsey in the Public Safety committee meeting on June 30, when the pair got to hear an update from county manager Matt Denton on the work that has been done so far.

The addition to Polk County’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) office in the county’s complex of buildings at the corner of Highwat 278 and the Highway 27 bypass outside of Cedartown will replace the current 911 center and offer a number of upgrades for local dispatchers.

Along with new computers and consoles, an upgraded Computer Aided Dispatch system, a new phone system and voice recorder and backup radio systems are all part of the package that has so far tallied up to $868,051.47 in spending.

The addition to the EMA offices came in at $607,000, but that included a $100,000 contingency fund. Originally expected to cost more, cuts were made in the overall design to keep from going well over budget.

Part of the reason for the 911 Operations Center’s overall upgrade include state and federal requirements to integrate new features in emergency communications, and also because the county sought to provide a better facility for dispatchers to have for the future.

Equipment to be used in the new facility has been placed on order via commission approval over the past months, but won’t be delivered until all the work is completed on the new facility for installation.

Denton said that contractors had 240 days from June 16 to finish the project.

There’s still radios to purchase, along with other furnishing for the building not included with the consoles to be used by 911 operators.

Kevin Myrick/SJ Progress continues to be made in construction of the new 911 operations center, despite delays caused by wet weather this month. The project has 240 days to be completed by contractors according to Polk County manager Matt Denton.