FARMINGTON — Plymouth Engineering Inc. representatives gave Franklin County commissioners an update Tuesday on the progress on the new dispatch center.

Voters countywide approved the $598,300 project in June.

Project engineer Keith Ewing said the firm needs three to three-and-a-half weeks more to complete electrical, mechanical and structural components before the bid packages will be ready. He expects to be before the commissioners in about four weeks so the package can be approved before being sent to contractors.

The plan is for bids to be opened the week of Nov. 13. Once ground is broken, he said, the goal is a 14-week build time.

A concrete slab can be poured during colder weather using the proper method, he said. The firm is following all required guidelines, and has been to Somerset County to look at the dispatch center there.

This building will not have a sprinkler system because it is small and not required, Ewing said. There will be fire extinguishers available as required.

A new communications tower will be installed rather than move the one on top of the jail, Ewing said. If the jail tower was moved near the dispatch center, there would need to be guy wires and it could cause a safety hazard, project manager Fred Marshall said. There would also be no loss of dispatch time, which could be four days, if the jail tower is moved, he said.

The new tower will be bolted to the new building.

There will also be no bullet-proof glass used. Instead, the windows will be up high with a separate metal screen on the inside to protect from glass if it is broken and prevent people from being able to enter the building, Ewing said.

Building Committee member and Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong said that people on the outside will not be able to see the dispatchers inside.

A new septic system will be installed rather than tie into the jail’s system because by the time you install a pump and related equipment it would cost about the same, Marshall said.

A grounding system will be installed to protect the building and the tower from lightning strikes, Ewing said.

There will be no insulation put under the slab because it will not be needed due to the insulated concrete form construction, he said. There will be no radiant heat in the floor.

The R-value, a measure of thermal resistance, will be R-22 in the walls and R-41 in the ceiling, mechanical engineer Matei Ilina said.

A heat pump system will be installed to do both the heating and cooling. It will be propane gas-fired and have forced hot air.

The building will have its own generator rather than use the one that supports the jail and sheriff’s office where dispatch is currently located, Ewing said. It will be more cost-efficient than trying to upgrade the existing generator to run three buildings, he said.

The firm and contractors will be seeking any grants or rebates available for the communication tower and energy-efficiency equipment installed.

The building is expected to be built in time for the new generation of 911 equipment to be installed while the current dispatch center is still operating.

The Building Committee is in charge of procuring the furniture for the center. Ewing estimated the cost of each of the three dispatch stations would be about $16,000. There is space available if a fourth station is needed in the floor plan.

dperry@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link