Tazewell County officials need to put aside their differences and get to work on the long-awaited relocation of the county’s 911 communications center.
When an emergency or disaster strikes, the first number citizens of Tazewell County will call is “911.” In an emergency, every minute counts. Those in need of help expect a prompt response. That’s why Tazewell County must have a facility that is efficiently designed to allow 911 personnel to perform their duties.
That’s not the case at the moment, according to Sheriff H.S. Caudill, who says 911 employees are currently being forced to work in “deplorable conditions” in a confining facility located on the third floor of a water plant. Employees must climb three stories of stairs each morning to reach the 911 center, which is experiencing leaks and has inadequate space for work stations, computers and offices. Caudill said the state’s wireless 911 board has identified the 911 center in Tazewell as one of the worst 911 facilities in Virginia in terms of the layout and condition of the facility. That’s simply not acceptable.
Just when it looked like the 911 center and sheriff’s office would be moved from the water plant to the old junior high school building in Tazewell, a letter was sent to Caudill from the county Board of Supervisors and County Administrator Jim Spencer detailing a number of restrictions, including requirements that the sheriff serve as the “project manager” for the relocation with the sheriff’s office being responsible for the design of the facility improvements, the quality of the work and compliance with procurement and construction laws; and statements that the sheriff interpreted as restrictions on his ability to seek assistance from the county engineering, and building inspection offices.
Further complicating the debate is the fact that discussions over the relocation of the 911 center were held behind closed doors.
The board of supervisors took the discussion behind closed doors under an A-3 property disposition clause. That decision makes little sense. The building the 911 center is being moved to is already owned by the county. Why was there a need to go behind closed doors to discuss moving 911 from one county-owned building to another county-owned building? What was the big secret regarding the move?
An efficient 911 center is a matter of public safety, and we see no reason why any discussion regarding the relocation of the 911 center should be held behind closed doors.
It’s time for cooler heads to prevail. County officials involved in this issue — including Sheriff H.S. Caudill, Administrator Jim Spencer, and the Board of Supervisors — need to sit down in an open and public session and resolve whatever differences remain regarding the relocation of the 911 center.
The 911 employees of Tazewell County need a building that is capable of meeting their needs. And we can understand Caudill’s argument that the third floor of a water plant may not be the best place to have a 911 center.
The county should expedite efforts to get the old junior high school ready, and if that building won’t work, then another suitable site should be found — and found soon — for the 911 center.
Editorials
August 22, 2010
911 emergency: Cooler heads must prevail in Tazewell
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