City official questions slashed E911 estimate

Comments come as commissioners discuss creating E911 trust

Zack Stoycoff Staff Reporter The Claremore Daily Progress Wed Sep 08, 2010, 10:39 AM CDT

CLAREMORE — Claremore city councilman Don Myers criticized Rogers County commissioners Tuesday for cutting into the planned E911 call center to offset the cost of the new courthouse.

Myers questioned whether commissioners were favoring the new courthouse when they signed off on architects’ latest estimates for the two projects — $500,000 less for the call center and $1.1 million more for the courthouse. Both projects were approved in a voter package last December.

“We were told these were going to be equal ventures,” Myers said at commissioners’ regular meeting. “How can you cut the 911 center and the courthouse gets all or maybe more than what they asked?”

Commissioners originally proposed $23 million for the projects — $21 million for the courthouse and $2 million for the call center. Architects revised those estimates last week to $22.1 million and $1.5 million.

But in the face of rising construction costs and unforeseeable design changes, commissioners said they were pleased architects kept the cost so close to original estimates.

They also said original estimates were basically guesses.

“I think the $2 million (for the call center) was just a number,” District 1 Commissioner Dan DeLozier said. “We came up with it because the building itself was planned to cost I think $1.3 to $1.4 million, with equipment maybe costing another half million.”

Said District 3 Commissioner Kirt Thacker: “The architect believes it won’t cost that much to build it.”

But unlike for the courthouse, where newly completed schematics have helped narrow cost estimates, architects have not drawn plans for the call center. Myers said he’s concerned because commissioners made what comes to a 25 percent cut without having new information about the project.

“I haven’t seen a schematic. I haven’t seen a plan. But I’ve seen a lot about the courthouse,” Myers said. “As a citizen I have concerns as well as a councilman.”

Kim Reeves of BKL, the firm hired to design both buildings, said last week the $500,000 is needed to offset the rising costs of the courthouse and should not be needed by the call center.

But Bill Knowles, another BKL architect, conceded Tuesday that the firm has drawn no plans for the call center. He said his team has been unable to begin designing because officials have not selected a site.

Commissioners’ request to use health department land for the call center was denied by the Rogers County Health Facilities Authority earlier this month. Officials are eyeing two other 4-acre sites — one that may be donated to the county.

“We’re getting ready to either buy land or have it donated pretty quick,” DeLozier said.

Commissioners will vote at their regular meeting next Monday to establish a trust to govern the county’s E911 services. Without one, governing would fall to the commissioners.

“Instead of three commissioners making all the decisions on 911, everyone involved would have a say. Fire departments, ambulance, sheriff’s office, police departments,” DeLozier said.

Commissioners said Tuesday they will ask the county’s emergency service providers if they are willing to participate in the trust. District 2 Commissioner Mike Helm said it’s important to give service providers a change to opt out.

“Several times this board has been accused of not doing things right, and these are the questions we need to ask,” he said. “Before we go making a trust, we at least need to know who’s with us and who’s not.”

DeLozier said a trust would deal with questions that are still unanswered, including how much it would cost to run the facility.

“With it being new, we don’t know how much it’s going to cost to run it because we don’t know how many fulltime dispatchers we’ll need to hire,” he said.

The call center will combine the county’s emergency dispatching services under one roof in a disaster-proof building with new technology that will allow responders to pinpoint callers’ locations. Officials say that will improve response time.

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