Oktibbeha County supervisors Monday approved a $520,000 plan to fully furnish and upgrade the county education building for 911 and emergency management usage next year.
OCEMA Director Shank Phelps said the new equipment should begin arriving in early 2016, but the department is not expected to transition into its new Main Street location until the spring.
Phelps’ equipment request includes Zetron’s Max Call-Taking and Max Radio Dispatch systems, five XyBix dispatch workstations, uninterruptible power systems, a 64-channel recorder, a generator, and costs associated with antenna relocations.
The combined total for all the purchases is estimated at about $517,000, and Phelps said the county has already received a local bank’s quote for a five-year financing package.
The county is expected to pay almost $110,000 annually for the five-year, $520,000 plan, he said.
“Getting this new equipment will be a great thing, and it will be a tremendous asset to Oktibbeha County,” he said. “We’re hopeful the new 911 center will be up and running this spring ahead of the bad weather that usually pops up about that time of year.”
OCEMA’s move into the facility “won’t be like turning on a light switch,” Phelps said, as officials have to ensure the facility is at full capability before moving from its current home at the Oktibbeha County Jail.
The sheriff’s department is expected to utilize the free space at the jail created by OCEMA’s move.
Oktibbeha County previously financed $240,000 in 2002 for radios, consoles and other 911-related equipment for seven years.
Instead of purchasing its phone system, the county leased equipment from BellSouth for the last 13 years. Because of the new purchase, the county will roll its $63,308.40 annual lease payments to the new financing package.
Last year, supervisors voted to split the county education building’s usage between OCEMA and the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. Their plan called for 911 to use the top floor, while the bottom floor would be utilized by the newly created school district.
Since the summer, SOCSD has argued it is entitled to use the entirety of the building as its predecessor, the Oktibbeha County School District, did before state lawmakers merged it with the Starkville School District.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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