Murphy – Cherokee County officials are moving forward with two capital projects that have stalled several times in the past.
County commissioners voted to scrap previous plans for the former National Guard Armory on James A. Mulkey Drive in favor of selling roughly half of the building to the Murphy Volunteer Fire Department. Fire officials agreed to pay the county a total of $200,000 for a portion of the building, with payments spread across four years.
The remainder of the armory will be used to house an emergency operations center. An EOC is essentially a central command emergency services complex where top-level officials plan and execute emergency preparedness, emergency management and/or disaster management functions during an emergency event. Cherokee County does not have an EOC today.
“This is the perfect location, it’s the perfect building and it’s the perfect time for something like this,” Emergency Management Director Robin Caldwell said at the March 29 work session. “I don’t see another opportunity for something like this in the near future at all.”
Officials say the EOC will also double as a training facility for emergency services administration and emergency management. They expect there to be enough space to also house the 911 addressing department and a temporary 911 center that can be used during an emergency.
“This would allow a dedicated dispatch center to be placed at that location with the things they need to manage just that event, so primary dispatch could handle other things going on in the county at that time,” County Manager Randy Wiggins told the Cherokee Scout.
Officials will have to renovate the armory to accommodate the EOC; however, the exact cost is not known at this time. Caldwell said she has grant funds to cover some of the expenses.
Wiggins is working with an architect who will design how to best use the former armory’s space. Once a design is approved, the county will seek construction bids.
After the EOC is constructed and agencies have moved into the building, the Veterans Services Office will be moved from the courthouse on Peachtree Street to 59 Hiwassee St., which today houses Emergency Management Services and other government agencies. Code Enforcement will remain in the Hiwassee Street building with veterans services.
County officials are also moving forward with plans to construct a new Emergency Medical Services station on Jackson Street. The station will become the primary hub for two medical response crews and will have enough room to house at least five people at one time.
Officials will soon advertise for bids to determine the exact cost of the project, which previously stalled because construction estimates were too high.
Previous plans for the Jackson Street project included an agreement with the Town of Murphy to split the cost of a large sewer system that would support the EMS station, while also allowing private parties to tap into the town’s sewer lines. However, plans for the larger sewer system have been scrapped at this time.